Let It Be
by GLEEful Heart
Summary: An Abrams family album of sorts. Snapshots into their family life, consistent with the canon that I've already created for them in my previous stories.
1. Chapter 1

_**An authors note...I am very excited and a little apprehensive about starting this new piece. It will mainly consist of snippets about the Abrams throughout the years(not necessarily in chronological order), with appearances by other family members(those already mentioned and some not), as well as the Gleeks(both past and present). I love the idea of reader participation, so if there are any requests you may have, feel free to contact me personally and I will do my best to honor them...just please keep in mind that this is a fic about Artie and his family.**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

Art Abrams had never been a particularly superstitious person. So when his wife called to complain about the laundry list of things that had gone wrong since he left for work that morning, just as he was getting back to his office from lunch, he couldn't help but roll his eyes a little.

At the top of that list, was their current plumbing issue, and her sinking suspicion that their youngest son was single-handedly responsible for it.

This was no surprise to Art. It was common knowledge that his rambunctious five year old could be a handful on any given day...not just a Friday the thirteenth.

"I swear Art, I'm almost certain I saw a black cat out our kitchen window this morning." She sounded winded and flustered as she ran up the stairs and into the boys bathroom. In the background, the telltale trickle of water spilling onto the tile floor could be heard, followed by the pop/slosh of a plunger being administered.

"Now don't you think you're overreacting just a bit, Leesh?" A small chuckle escaped his lips. "I mean unless the cat's the one who flushed the baseball down the toilet..."

"Be serious Art," she cut-in, her tone sounding only slightly less annoyed than it did a minute ago.

"I am," he returned in playful defense, which only succeeded in earning another incredulous sigh from the Misses. Art paused a moment before changing the subject with a question. "Where's Andy now?"

Alicia tried plunging one more time before answering. "At Harry's party."

"You still let him go?" Art asked surprised.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Alicia snapped defensively. "We'd already responded and bought the gift."

"You could have kept him home," he countered pointedly. "What's a better punishment than having to miss your best friends birthday party?"

"I know, but..." Alicia let out a sigh of defeat as her gaze automatically shifted in the direction of their oldest son, dutifully pushing a mop through a thin stream of cold water that had puddled under his bare feet. His pleading request from a little while ago, still ringing fresh in her ears. _"Let him go Mom. It was an accident...I swear. _"...I didn't."

The thought that followed was fleeting, and Alicia's mood lightened considerably. "Though I only allowed him to go under two conditions...one, he use his own money to replace his brothers baseball after the party today and two, he has to do Artie's share of the chores for the next week."

At the change in her tone, Art could imagine the loving glance she was predictably sending their eldest son at that very moment. "I guess that sounds fair enough," he quipped approvingly and after a brief pause, decided, "It's Friday and there's not much going on here anyway...What do you say I come home a little early and help you guys clean up that mess?"

Alicia let out a breathy chuckle. "Well, were almost done with that, but I loved for you to get over here and see if you can't figure out how to get this ball out of the pipes so we can use the toilet again."

Art laughed. "I'm on my way."

He smiled at the absurdity of the situation the entire ride home. Joked about it when he was forced to call a plumber for assistance. Even laughed when said plumber explained that he would need to take the toilet apart to get the wedged ball out.

That would all change when just about thirty minutes later, the phone would ring and the voice on the other line would sympathetically inform him that there had been an accident and his wife and son were on route to the hospital. And it wouldn't be until he learned of the seriousness of his sons injuries that he realized his parting words to his wife would forever haunt him_..."Leesha. Why don't you take Artie with you." _


	2. Chapter 2

_**An authors note...Any and all feedback is so very much appreciated. Thank you guys! I think I am going to have to go in chronological order, otherwise none of this is going to make any sense. I also suppose that I've starting with the accident because it has to be the most pivotal moment in the family's life(and something I really want to dig deeper into. It also doesn't hurt that this is the subject my muse is most fond of) but I will be exploring many other aspects of their lives as well. Like I said previously, these are snippets or glimpses into their lives which means that they will be short, probably less than a thousand words each, and may be continued in subsequent chapters...just like this one happens to be. And don't forget to mention if there is something in particular you would like to see, I will do my best to honor those requests.**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

Art felt as though all the air had been knocked from his lungs. He had somehow managed to shoo the plumber out and reach Harry's mother, who graciously offered to keep Andy as long as they needed or until other arrangements could be made. Now he just had one more thing to do...make that phone call he _never_ thought he'd _ever_ have to make.

_"You've reached Tom and Kath. We're not available at the moment, so please leave a message..."_

Damn. This was not the kind of news you would just leave on your in-laws answering machine. Acting on autopilot, he dialed the only other number he could remember at that very moment. "Tom McHale please," he heard himself say before he was forced to wait.

"Hello."

"Dad? It's Art."

"Hey son..."

"There's been an accident. Alicia and Artie."

"How bad?"

"Don't know. I'm leaving for the hospital now, St. Rita's."

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Thanks. And Dad...would you, um...let the rest of the family know?"

"Of course."

Art could have sworn he heard his father-in-laws voice crack just before the click of the line going dead, but he couldn't think about that now...not when he needed to get to his family.

The ride to the hospital was a mostly a blur, with Tom's imploring question playing on constant repeat in his head, _"How bad?"_

The truth was, Art had no idea how bad it was. All he was told by the hospital employee who made the phone call, was that his wife and son were on their way there. He'd never even asked how bad it was. Then it suddenly occurred to him, Alicia had been traveling in the direction of Lima Memorial yet was being taken to St. Rita's hospital. St. Rita's, which had just opened a new, state of the art, level 2 trauma center earlier that year.

And that could only mean one thing...

It was definitely bad.


	3. Chapter 3

_**An authors note...I truly appreciate the wonderful reviews I've gotten so far. It's so important for me to please my readers, and I can only do that if I know what you like and don't like, want to see and don't want to see, etc...So a special shout out to those who have. **_

_**Way big warning in this one. Seems Mr. A has a bit of a potty mouth...though I think it's totally appropriate given the circumstances.**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

It was going on three hours now. Three hours into a surgery in which a group of doctors were attempting to piece back together his eight year old sons shattered spine, and the only thing he could do, was wait. Art Abrams may have always prided himself a patient man, but this was diving him crazy.

"Do you know what happened to the driver of the other car?"

It was the question on every mind, but only Alicia's youngest sister had the courage to ask it.

"You mean the asshole that almost killed my family?"

That came out harsher than he'd intended, and was not at all what she deserved. Colleen was just as worried about her sister and nephew as he was. Art flashed her an apologetic grimace which she promptly accepted and returned with her own smile of understanding. However, that accepting quality he was known for didn't last very long, it couldn't, not as the horrendous reality of the situation came flooding back.

Art resumed his pacing. "Heard they took him over to Lima Memorial...even though he barely had a scratch on him," he ground out scathingly, then began shaking his head in disbelief, "the Motherfucker was drunk."

"Arthur, language," his mother gasped incredulously, looking around to see if anyone else had been in earshot of her sons belligerence.

Art let out a snort of indignation. "You weren't there Mom," he countered, his pitch rising considerably with every word. "You didn't sit by my bleeding, unconscious wife's side and hold her hand while we waited for a plastic surgeon to come and sew up the huge gash on her head." His eyes burned with a ferocity as he tried to keep his emotions in check, "You didn't see my little boy lying there..."

The images were all too much to bear and Art couldn't bring himself to go on. Bridget, the third in birth order, immediately took his hand and pulled him down to sit between her and Colleen. After a moment he finally gave in and slumped forward with his head in his hands. The sisters shared a mutual look of concern, then turned to comfort their brother-in-law...both relieved that their parents weren't there to witness this. They were right where they needed to be, at Alicia's bedside.

Colleen draped her arm over Art's shoulders while Bridget slowly rubbed her hand up and down his back. Colleen dared a glance over at Mrs. Abrams, who had relaxed into her seat and was now casually paging through a magazine. Shouldn't she be the one consoling her son?

She wasn't trying to judge, but Colleen often wondered how Art became such a good dad after being raised in a house with, what she thought, were cold, distant parents. They were nothing like the warm, fuzzy, cuddly family she grew up with...where hugs were given out at every opportunity. It had infuriated her to learn that Art Sr. hadn't even bothered to make the two hour drive with his wife. Instead, he cited a business trip in the morning as his reason and left Mrs. Abrams to meet up with their older daughter Jayne, for the ride in.

"Was Artie conscious at all when you saw him?"

Another question from Colleen, this one earning her a warning glare from her older sister, over Art's back. The youngest of the four McHale siblings was always known as the boldest and most vocal, but she was also extremely loyal, honest and sincere. Very much like Alicia.

Art lifted his head, surprising both sisters with a small twitch of his lips. "No, not really," he replied, letting out a calming sigh with his words. "He was pretty knocked out by then...," another pause, only this time it produced a small almost-smile, "but he squeezed my hand when I told him I loved him."

A single tear ran down Art's cheek, and the younger women finally let theirs flow freely. "He going to be okay," Colleen said after a few minutes, her hand unconsciously coming to rest on her protruding stomach. She was due in a little over a month, with a baby cousin Artie was looking so forward to meeting.

"They both are," Bridget added softly and scooted closer to effectively sandwich him in. The sisters were so convincing that Art almost believed them, and he really needed to...it was all he had going for him right now.

The three sat like that for a long time. Sometimes in silence, other times found Bridget muttering quiet words of encouragement or prayers, and Colleen reciting stories or short anecdotes. There were more smiles and some tears, but more importantly...there was comfort.

"Abrams family?"

Art's head shot up to see a nurse dressed in surgical scrubs standing just beyond the seating area. He didn't trust his legs to get him over to where she was, but with a gentle nudge from both his sister-in-laws, he found himself walking toward her. The expression she wore was professional yet calm, and Art took that as a good sign...no person, no matter how professional could hide their sadness if something unexpected had happened to an otherwise healthy eight year old child.

"They're just finishing up the last of the sutures," the nurse started out with. "It was a very long and intricate operation, but he did great." Finally a smile. Art blew out the breath he was holding and offered her a nod of gratitude. She placed her hand on his shoulder, then added, "We'll keep him in recovery for about two hours. During that time, the doctor will come out to talk with you, and after that you can go see him."

Art let out another sigh of relief, briefly glanced over at the rest of the family, and flashed them a smile. He knew they had a long, hard road ahead of them... but they'd made it through the first hurdle.

**_ANx2...Now that you've got to know some of the extended family a little better, it'll be back to the main three for the next few chapters(though little Andy will be popping up here and there, too). I'm sorry if this story feels like it's moving really slow or seems like it's just a post-accident fic(which was never my intention). I have so much I want to explore and can't believe how fast the ideas are flowing out. In short, I hope you are enjoying this little ride I have you on because I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed writing something so much._**


	4. Chapter 4

_**An authors note...Hey guys, thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback...I really appreciate it. I'm also very thankful that you've all embraced this story given it's very sensitive and slightly depressing nature(this chapter is no exception). There will be some lighter moments ahead, just not for a few more chapters I'm afraid. This chapter was by far the hardest to write. I wanted to get everything just right(still not sure if I succeeded) and wound up editing it numerous times. Because of that, I will have to work double time to get Beauty...updated. Sorry.**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

Alicia felt like she was living through a fog...existing only for the small broken body lying on the bed in front of her.

Her son.

The little boy, who just six days ago was so vibrant and carefree, only to be struck down by a careless man who thought he was fit to drive a vehicle after consuming an excessive amount of alcohol. A little boy who's future was now so uncertain.

Her son.

"Mom?"

Alicia glanced up from where her hand was clasped around his little one, and forced a small smile. "Hey Sweetie...how're you feeling?"

"Mmmm...thirsty."

A soft strangled chuckle escaped Art's lips, but Alicia didn't find any levity in the situation. That momentary spark had turned into a frown of anguish at the sound of their sons weak reply. "We'll see what we can do, okay?" she whispered, moving her other hand up to his forehead. Artie gave a sluggish nod, then cringed when he tried to swallow.

"He's thirsty," the worried mother threw the soft plea out to the nurse busily working around the boy. Alicia's eyes never once left her sons face as she gently began brushing his bangs back with her fingers.

The nurse frowned slightly after taking a quick glance at the chart at the foot of the bed, "He hasn't vomited anymore?"

Art looked over at Alicia for confirmation before shaking his head no and answering for the both of them, "Not since yesterday morning."

Funny, Artie didn't remember getting sick. The realm of consciousness had been fleeting, and he was only vaguely aware of being in the hospital due to a car accident. Everything else seemed a little...no, a lot fuzzy.

Giving a short nod, the nurse disappeared from the room, only to return moments later with a small dosing cup full of water. "Just dab a little on his lips for now," she instructed, handing the cup to Alicia. "If Dr. M gives the okay, we can probably start him on small sips of liquid, later on today." Alicia did as she was told. Artie responded by touching his tongue to his chapped lips, savoring feel of cool water on them.

"Did I just hear my name?," a soft masculine voice called from the doorway. But before Artie could even process the command to turn his head in that direction, a slightly imposing figure was standing over him. "Nice to have you with us this morning Artie."

The young boy took in the mans casual appearance, broad smile and all, and asked, "Are you my doctor?"

"One of them," he answered, grin widening. "My name is Dr. Murphy. I'm the doctor that did the surgery to fix the broken bones in your back." Artie wrinkled his face. _S__o that's why that hurt._"It's okay if you don't remember me, you've been on some pretty strong medicine for the past few days now," he paused to look over the chart in his hand, "gave us a bit of a scare there, too." The doctor paged through the first few sheets, then turned to Mrs. Abrams, "No reaction to the new meds?."

The adverse affects the morphine, or any of the other opiate based pain relief they tried, was an unexpected and frightening complication. Alicia gave a nod and let out a shuttering sigh of relief. "It hasn't made him sick...only extremely sleepy."

"That's still fairly common this early on," Dr. Murphy assured her, then turned his attention back to Artie. "In any pain now Buddy?"

"A little," he began timidly, "but mostly everything just feels weird...especially my legs."

Dr. Murphy's expression clouded slightly as he came around to the other side of the bed. "Weird, how?" he inquired, wordlessly calling the nurse over to help him.

"Real heavy, like my arm," Artie managed to reply as he gingerly tried to adjust his generously casted left arm, "only I can't make 'em move."

The doctor gently skirted over the issue by casually continuing his exam. "How about your back?" he asked, working in tandem with the nurse to gently turn Artie onto his right side.

"A little," the boy repeated his previous answer as convincingly as he could. It really did just ache and he hoped that would be enough to make his mom stop looking at him so sadly.

"Everything is healing up nicely," the doctor mumbled out loud as he palpitated around the long incision mark. "Staples can probably come out later today," he directed these instructions to the nurse, then pointed to a spot just below Artie's left hip, "keep a close eye on this, make sure the skin doesn't break...and it would probably be a good idea to start shifting him every two hours for now, as well." The nurse nodded silently and once Artie was settled again, dutifully moved to write down the new set of orders.

"Alright Artie, I'm going to run a few tests now," Dr. Murphy continued to talk as he made his way to the foot of the bed. "I'm going to use a special tool to check sensation. I want you just relax and let me know when you start to feel something. Okay?"

"Okay," Artie parroted, pressed his head into the pillow, and waited for the doctor to get started.

A brief flicker of hope flashed across Alicia's face. The doctor used words like sensation and feel, just like Artie did a few minutes ago when he said his legs felt heavy. That must mean he could actually feel them if they felt heavy. Maybe they couldn't get a response from this test before because he was practically unconscious. Which meant that maybe the lack of reflexes could be attributed to something else too...Right? It couldn't be as hopeless as they were predicting.

Starting to feel a little anxious at having to wait so long, Artie lifted his head as much as he could to find that the test had already begun. Even without his glasses, he could see the metal probe pressing into his skin. Clarity kicked in and his eyes widened with shock, then locked with the doctors.

It was an almost imperceptible shake of the head, but it was definitely a no.

The sound of his heart pounding began echoing through his ears. Once he remembered how to breathe, Artie loosened the death grip he had on his mothers hand enough to slide it over to his thigh. He pressed his fingers down hard, and upon confirming his suspicions, lifted his very expressive eyes upward, "Dad...I can't..."

The sharp intake of breath by Alicia startled them all. Artie's gaze drifted back to where the instrument had been running up his leg, but Dr. Murphy had already removed it. "Artie," he started, his voice extra gentle solely for the purpose of easing the fears of the obviously distressed child, "we need to talk about what happened when you were injured and why you can't..."

"I want a second opinion," Alicia cried out before the doctor could finish his explanation.

"Leesha?"

"No Art we have to," she pleaded desperately through her tears as she glanced down at her little boy and forced herself to smile again. "Everything is going to be okay Sweetie."

Art let out a soft sigh, his heart breaking all over again, "Alicia please..."

She flashed him a stern look, "What if there's someone out there who can..."

"I can call around to some colleagues for a consultation," the words were coming from Dr. Murphy and shocked them both, "unless you'd prefer to find someone on your own..."

"No, thank you...we'd appreciate your help," Alicia managed through a fresh stream of grateful tears.

The doctor gave a quick nod and a sympathetic smile before turning back to Artie. "Get some rest...I'll be back to check on you tomorrow."

Artie tried to listen but he was distracted by the discerning task of watching Dr. Murphy place the blanket back over his legs and not being able to feel it...no hot, no cold, no soft or scratchy, just...

Nothing.

"Dr. Murphy," Art called out, rushing after him. "I'm sorry about my wife..."

The doctor responded with warm grin, "Mr. Abrams..."

"It's Art, please.

"Art," he acquiesced, "Being in this job as long as I have and as a parent myself, I can empathize with what the two of you are going through. I'm not at all offended by her request, and as long as it doesn't interfere with Artie's care, I don't see any harm in getting a second opinion."

Art's expression turned confused. "But I thought you said..."

"I did, and I stand by that diagnosis," the doctor maintained as he raised his hand to Art's shoulder and gave a firm squeeze. "If this is what Alicia needs to be able to accept that, then it's what we'll do."

Art nodded, and hoped it was going to be as easy as that.

**_ANx2...Way longer than a snippet, but this piece has been bugging to be written since Trainningwheels. _**


	5. Chapter 5

_**An authors note..**__**.This chapter is super short, sort of a filler and just a glimpse into what Artie was thinking and going through after regaining (full)consciousness. Next one will be up very soon, I promise.**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

He had fought so hard for consciousness, but then reality set in, and all Artie wanted to do was go back to sleep. Dr. Murphy came back as promised, gently explained what happened to him and why his legs didn't work...but nobody had come yet to let him know if they ever would. Even more discerning, was learning what else currently didn't work, though that was not nearly half as humiliating as having to endure procedures to take care of those necessities...what had once been normal bodily functions.

Ever the perceptive child, Artie began to quickly take notice of the strict schedule they had him on. At 6am a nurse would come in to empty his catheter bag, check his vitals and reposition him, 7am was the shift change, a new nurse would come in to introduce herself and look over his chart from the night. 8am brought the replacement of his IV fluids, administration of pain medication, and another shift in position. By 9am, Dr. Murphy or one of his associates would show up and repeat the same couple of tests...always with the same result.

This routine was pretty much the same, day after day...until the third day and a new face entered his room. "Hello Artie."

The boy looked up in surprise at the figure standing in the doorway. He glanced over at the clock on the wall, it was 10:23am, and nobody ever came in his room at that time. There was usually a lull of activity between ten and noon, at which time his mother would take her shower and get dressed...which was exactly what she was doing right now, and he would take a nap...which is exactly what he wasn't doing. But this person seemed to know him, so..."Um, hi?."

The young lady smiled as she stepped inside. Artie noticed she was carrying a chart like the nurses, but was dressed in regular clothes. "I'm Lauren," she supplied the answer before he could even ask the question, "your physiotherapist."

"My what?" the little boy asked curiously.

Lauren's smile widened. "Physical therapist. Dr. Murphy sent me to see you because he thinks that it's safe to get you moving again, now that your back has had some time to heal."

"The nurses already do that."

His reply was met with a short nod. "That's right. They help you shift position, and massage your legs which are both very important tasks. But my job is to exercise all of those muscles and joints you can't move, so that they stay healthy."

It was Artie's turn to nod, and watch intently as she lifted the sheet from his right leg. He briefly wondered when his mother had put socks on his feet, they weren't there an hour ago when the doctor ran his tests. Maybe he'd put them on?

Artie was so preoccupied the his previous thought, he didn't even notice that Lauren had picked up his foot and was gently rotating his ankle. He heard a familiar cracking sound as it was turned, but couldn't feel the pop that usually accompanied it. And it wasn't until her hand slipped under his knee to support it, that his stomach twisted.

It was the first time anyone had touched him with their bare hands, at least that he'd noticed. The doctors always used their instruments and the nurses had to wear gloves. There was always a barrier...a sheet, a pillow, a pair of socks.

"I bet they're cold."

"What?"

"Your hands."

"A little," she answered casually as she continued to flex his knee and rotate his hip.

"Can I feel them?" The question came out much softer and shakier than his previous remarks and Lauren immediately recognized the familiar tone. She'd heard it far too many times and from far too many patients...though not very many quite this young.

Holding out her hand, Lauren waited for him to touch her fingers...which he did, tentatively at first. But confirming his suspicions didn't give Artie the satisfaction he thought it would. Instead, his lip trembled and a single tear made it's way down his cheek.


	6. Chapter 6

_**An authors note...Huge love for my readers and especially those who were so generous to leave reviews. Your kind words and much needed encouragement keep these stories going. Thank you. Tiny little angst(or giant sinkhole of depression) warning for this one, depending on how you look at it. I seriously sobbed writing it...and then again typing it up. It's sad:(**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

"I am not leaving my son."

"Honey, were not asking you to do that," Kathleen McHale tried pleading with her daughter, "just take a much needed break...that's all."

Alicia let out a short sigh of annoyance. "I can't right now Mom," she replied. "Artie just got out of the ICU three days ago. He's in a new room with new nurses..."

"And a new set of visitation rules," Kathleen cut in pointedly. "Dad and I can stay with him for as long as you want."

Alicia could see her father nodding in agreement, but it wasn't what she _wanted_ at all_. _"Mom, I need to be here..."

"What about what that little boy at home needs?" Kathleen asked instead, but grabbed tenderly for Alicia's hand. "Andy needs his mom too, Hon." It wasn't like the elder woman to play hardball, but it was a truth her daughter needed to hear.

"I know, it's just...I can't...," Alicia trailed off, obviously conflicted. The seemingly never ending supply of fresh tears ran down her cheeks.

Kathleen did her best to hold back her own emotions as she pulled Alicia close. "Sweetheart, you haven't been out of this building in over two weeks. Go home, take a shower in your own bathroom, a nap in your own bed and spend some time with Andy," the concerned mother pressed, just short of begging, as she guided Alicia over to the open door of Artie's room. "Look at how tired he looks Leesha...he'll probably end up sleeping the entire time you're gone."

Alicia watched Artie's eyes get heavier with every blink, but that didn't make her decision any easier. "I'll only go if he doesn't want me to stay," she declared before stepping back into the room.

There was a brief glance in Art's direction before Alicia's gaze landed on Artie. She sat down in the chair next to his bed. "Dad's going to take me home, but Grandma and Grandpa are going to stay with you. Okay?" He nodded. "I'll only be gone a little bit...just long enough to take a shower, repack my bag, and grab a few things for you. I was going to bring some underwear and pajamas...and maybe your pillow and a different blanket. Is there anything else you want?"

"My toothbrush," he replied immediately and grimaced at the sand-papery feel of his mouth. Alicia couldn't resist pulling a thin smile at his response. "And some more books." There was a slight hesitation with the next item. Artie's lips twisted to the side in deep contemplation as his gaze dropped to where the fingers on his right hand were picking at the cast covering his left. "Could you maybe bring brown bear too?"

All of the air was ripped from Alicia's lungs by that simple request, and the only thing that managed to escape her, was a strangled sob. Artie was going through such a traumatic and mature situation, it was so easy to forget that he was just a little boy. Once she recovered enough to wipe the tears from her cheeks, Alicia forced another smile to her lips. "Of course, Sweetheart."

...

Art let out a sigh of relief when he glanced over to see Alicia asleep in the passenger seat, but upon further inspection, found that her eyes were screwed shut and she was gripping the arm rest so tight, her knuckles had turned completely white. I dawned on him then, that this was the first time she'd been in a vehicle since that fateful day. Luckily by then, they were no longer that far from home.

Art made sure to pull into the garage to avoid the mob of gossip hungry neighbors he was usually met with. Alicia didn't need that.

"Something smells good in here," she forced herself to say upon stepping into her sparkling kitchen.

Bridget spun around on her heel. "Hey Sis," she exclaimed, tears immediately springing to her eyes...Bridget had always been known as the emotional one. "I was just getting lunch started," she said by way of answering Alicia's previous remark.

As the two broke from their embrace, Alicia was able to return Bridget's smile with one of her own. "I really appreciate everything you guys have done..." she trailed off emotionally. It was hard to imagine what she would have done these past two weeks without such a loving and supportive family.

Bridget returned with watery chuckle, and pulled her sister into another giant hug. "You don't have to thank me for anything," she said dismissively, squeezed and let go. "Just take care of yourself and Artie, and leave the rest to us." Her words were genuine and sincere. "Andy's doing just fine."

Alicia let out a soft sob and nodded again. "Where is he?"

"In the living room, watching cartoons," Bridget answered with an encouraging smile, to which Alicia took to heart...and with a steeling sigh, walked out of the kitchen.

"Hi Auntie Leesha," Alicia's four and a half year old nephew, and Bridget's oldest child, greeted first.

"Hi Lucas," she returned gently.

"Mom," Andy exclaimed finally looking up from the television, "you're home." The little boy scrambled to his feet and ran into his mothers arms. Bridget's youngest, thirteen month old Emma, toddled quickly behind.

"Hey guys," Alicia chuckled, a foreign concept to her, and took a seat on the couch.

Andy climbed onto her lap and she couldn't stop the tears from flowing when he wrapped his arms around her neck and muttered, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too Baby," Alicia whispered, reveling in the feel of his embrace. Artie had always been her cuddly one, her Mama's boy. Andy was always too tough and rambunctious to be bothered with hugs or any other type of affection. It was during that snuggle that Alicia realized just how much she was missing that contact...then came the guilt she felt for thinking about one son, while she was holding the other.

A little hand came up to her forehead and touched the healing scar above her eye. "Where's Artie?" Andy implored, wiggling from his mothers grasp. And then, the moment was gone, replaced with the family's bitter reality.

Alicia's shoulders slumped and her chin began to tremble, so Art stepped in to explain, "Your brother needs to stay in the hospital just a little while longer while he heals up." There was a momentary pause as Art's lips spread into a small grin. "But the good news is, you can go and visit him just about whenever you want."

"Can I ride his scooter while he's gone?," he asked instead.

"No."

"Sure."

Alicia met Art's eyes, then quickly shifted back to Andy. "That was your brothers favorite Christmas gift...lets keep it for him until he gets home. Okay?" Unhappy with his mothers suggestion, the little boy pulled a frown and silently slipped from her lap. Bridget and Art exchanged worried glances, it was obvious that Alicia was still stuck in the first stage of grief...denial.

"Andy, why don't we show Mom your big surprise?"

His face brightened considerably at his Aunts request. "Guess what?"

"What?" Alicia played along as best she could.

"I found my dinosaur game and my rescue heroes," he beamed proudly. "Me and Gramma cleaned my room out."

Alicia forced a smile, "You did?"

"Yeah," Andy grinned as he took her by the hand, "Wanna see?"

They took the stairs quickly, Andy tugging at Alicia and Lucas pulling his mother. It all seemed to be going fine, until they reached the landing, and Alicia stopped dead in her tracks. "I can't."

"What?" Bridget queried softly.

"I need to bring him some things, but I don't think I can go in there," she gasped and shuddered and hiccuped.

Considering she was staring directly at Artie's room, it wasn't that hard to figure out what she was talking about. Bridget wrapped a comforting arm around her sister and offered, "What does need? I can get it for you."

Alicia shook her head and gulped back her emotions. "Some underclothes, some pajamas...loose fitting ones, his toothbrush..." It may have almost sounded like a chuckle, if the cry that followed wasn't filled with complete and utter despair..."and he wants his teddy bear."

Bridget pulled her sister into a tight embrace, while her own tears began falling down her cheeks. And before either could realize what was happening, Alicia found her way inside her sons room, collapsed on his bed, and began sobbing into the pillow she had clutched to her chest. "Why Bridgie...why did this have to happen?"

"I don't know Leesh...I wish I did," she returned somberly. "I don't understand why bad things happen to good people."

"But he's just a baby," Alicia let out a heartbreaking whimper. "He shouldn't have to go through this."

"No Sweetie, he shouldn't," Bridget couldn't help but agree. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair and she was damn pissed it had to happen to her nephew.

It seemed she was one step ahead of her sister in the grieving process.

From the corner of her eye, Bridget could see Art standing in the doorway holding Emma. He crossed over to them to exchange the baby for his wife. "C'mon Leesh, why don't you go lie down," he urged with a gentle nudge of her shoulders.

"No...I..."

"I'll take the kids back to my house so that you can both get some rest," Bridget cut in with a whisper as she glanced back at the slightly frightened, yet very curious little boys standing right outside the room. Her offer was received with an appreciative nod from Art and a weak squeeze from her sisters hand.

Without too much protest, Art managed to pick Alicia up and carry her into their bedroom...where she promptly continued to cry, until she fell sound asleep in his arms.

**_ANx2...This one was a toughie, and really emotionally draining. I worked really hard trying to get the dialogue paired correctly with the emotions, hopefully it worked. The next two chapters are still a little on the angsty side, but after that things start to brighten up a bit. I hope I'm not running off all of my loyal readers with all of this depressing content...if you stick with me, I promise, there will be happy moments ahead._**

**_Also, for those of you who have read Trainningwheels, this chapter sort of explains how Abbey was conceived...or at least what lead to it. _**

**_Posting while on my lunch break:)_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**An authors note..**__**.Those wonderful reviews made me so happy, as did learning that my love of angst has not chased anyone away:) My deepest gratitude for you loyal readers. We're getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel.**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

"There's this specialist in Texas..."

"Leesh?," Art cut in softly, while letting out a sigh of frustration.

"No really this looks promising," she whispered back, glancing over to make sure their conversation would not wake up their sleeping son. "She's world renowned and is currently conducting a new study...," Alicia paused as she scrolled down and scanned the screen of her laptop. "She's looking for patients who have been injured in the last two to three weeks...," she glanced up with a ghost of a smile, "Artie's just hitting three..."

"Alicia."

"It doesn't say here if there's an age restriction or a specific injury level..."

"Alicia, stop." She opened her mouth to interject, but Art beat her to it. "Please." He took in a steadying breath. "We've already had a second opinion and we have a third coming on Wednesday...how much more are we going to put him through..."

"But this doctor..."

"Is in Texas," he finished for her. "Where are we supposed to find the money to fly in a specialist from another state, or better yet, afford to medivac our son down south to take part in an experimental trial we don't even know..."

"We could borrow it, or remortgage the house," she said out of desperation, "I don't know."

Art's expression softened and he took Alicia into his arms. "Babe, we..."

"What kind of parents are we if we don't do everything in our power to find someone who can help him?" she sobbed quietly into his chest.

"Mom?"

Both were startled by Artie's small plea and immediately rushed to his bedside.

"I don't feel so good."

He didn't look so good either. Alicia instinctively placed her hand on his forehead. "Oh Sweetie, you're burning up."

"I really don't feel good," Artie repeated and gave a sour grimace that was all his mother needed to spring into action. Making sure to first press the nurses call button, Alicia then grabbed the rectangular wash basin, she knew that little kidney shaped one would not suffice, from the side table and enlisted Art's help .

It was only mere seconds before the nurse stepped into the room to see her young patient retching into the basin. "I'll go page the doctor," she intoned after first making sure the parents had everything else under control.

...

"Well, it's definitely a urinary tract infection," Dr. Murphy announced once the results were in. It was what they had suspected, but knowing didn't give Alicia the same sense of relief it had given Art. "And like I explained before, is one of those issues..."

"But he'll be alright?" Alicia cut in shakily.

"Of course," the good doctor assured them as he gave Artie and encouraging grin. "A quick round of antibiotic, plenty of fluids, rest, and he'll be good as new in no time."

"That means more needles, right?" Artie asked apprehensively.

"An IV is really the best and fastest way to get you better. But it'll be just one little stick," Dr. Murphy replied, trying to dismiss the little boys fear with his casualness, "I promise you wont feel a thing."

"So you're gonna put it in my leg?" Artie queried in all seriousness.

A small chuckle escaped both Art and the doctor. "Fraid not Buddy, it has to go in your arm. But Missy here is awesome at getting needles in without it hurting."

Artie's eyes darted back and forth between the doctor and the nurse..."Okay," he sighed, just wanting to feel better.

Turning back to the concerned parents, Dr. Murphy then made sure to offer them the same gesture of reassurance. "I'm afraid this set back will delay his transfer to the rehabilitation facility about a week or so. I'd like to make sure he's infection free for a few days before releasing him, if that's okay with you."

"Of course," Art returned agreeably, "this is the best place for him to be."

Alicia left the two men to talk, and walked back over to where Artie lay, staring up at the two bags of fluid hanging over his bed. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well Sweetheart," she said comfortingly, and lowered herself into the chair next to him.

Artie gave an indifferent shrug, then slowly locked eyes with his mother. "Does this mean I don't hafta go to Texas?" he asked innocently.

Alicia's mind drifted back to the conversation she had with Art earlier, a converstion they had when she thought Artie was napping. "Do you not want to go there?"

Shaking his head, Artie lowered his eyes. "I just don't wanna see anymore doctors."

Alicia's chest clenched tightly and tears sprang to her eyes. "Daddy and I are just doing that to try to find someone who can maybe help you."

"I know, " he muttered quietly, lifting his expressive blue eyes once again. "But I like Dr. Murphy a lot...he's nice." There was a moment of contemplation before a smile began to tug at the corners of his lips. "I think we should just stick with him."

Alicia forced a smile in spite of herself. "There's just one more doctor coming to see you on Wednesday," she pressed gently. "Maybe we could just see what he has to say...and if you still feel the same way after that, we can be done."

"Even if he doesn't have anything good to say?"

Artie's plea shattered Alicia's fragile heart even further. She wasn't ready to give up...there had to be someone, somewhere...if they had to go to the ends of the earth...

But that was not what he was asking.

A small warm hand closed over hers and Alicia could do nothing more than nod.

...

**_ANx2...Sorry for all the choppy dialogue in this chapter, lots of talking over one another here. I did that intentionally to better show Alicia's emotional state. She's still in such deep denial that she can't even bring herself to listen to what other people have to say...except for that one little person:)_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**An authors note...I have the best, most loyal reviewers on this site. You guys rock. This chapter is directly correlated to the flashback scene in the last chapter of Training Wheels. It carries through with that storyline and shows a glimpse into what happened after the Abrams received both sets of news that day. If you haven't already, you may want to read TW...these last few chapters will probably make a lot more sense after. This 'scene' playing over in my head, is what prompted this fic:)**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

It didn't come as a complete shock, and he was almost expecting it...but that wasn't going to make accepting it any easier.

He hadn't moved a single muscle...aside from the shaky things his nurses and doctors called spasms, and those he had absolutely no control over...never felt a single pinch, probe or prod, wasn't even been able to go to the bathroom on his own, in almost a month.

The doctors all said this was how it was going to be from now on, but he was only eight years old...the rest of his life was a really long time.

"Big day tomorrow...you excited, Pal?"

Artie was roused from his deep thoughts by his fathers voice. He glanced up and nodded dutifully. "Are you gonna be there?"

Art frowned sympathetically. "I wish I could, but I have a really important meeting that I need to go to," he explained gently. "Mom said the morning will probably be just lots of paperwork and getting you settled anyway...I'll be by later on in the afternoon with Andy. Okay?"

Artie gave another nod and tried his best to mask his disappointment...something that was getting harder and harder to do.

Just then, Alicia stepped from the bathroom, dressed for bed. She and Art shared a lingering embrace, exchanged some words and a quick gentle kiss before he turned toward the door. "G'dnight Pal."

"Night Dad," Artie returned flatly, a slight somberness evident in his tone, "love you."

Art's smile widened as he called over his shoulder. "I love you too, Son."

Once Art was gone, Alicia took a seat in the one of the many reclining chairs she'd called her bed for the past four weeks. "Tired Sweetie?" she asked, tucking her feet up underneath her.

Artie shook his head.

"Well, it's still early enough," she intoned casually, and briefly wondered if either of them would be getting any sleep that night. "How about a game?"

Another no.

"Some TV?"

A shrug this time.

Alicia was starting to get concerned, but brushed it off when Artie simply picked up the book by his side and opened it up to the page he'd left off on. Apparently, he just wanted to read. So following his example, Alicia reached for her own book on the side table behind her.

About fifteen minutes had past and Artie was still on the same page. Slowly lowering the book, he began to nervously play with the curling edges. "Mom?" Alicia glanced up at the sound of her name, but Artie's eyes were still fixated on his fingers. "Is it okay to be a little scared?"

Alicia's chest tightened and her stomach twisted. Artie's chin was trembling, his eyes were swimming with tears, and it absolutely broke her heart...but surprisingly, she was able to hold it together. "Of course it is Sweetheart," she cooed soothingly, even if her voice did crack. "It's okay to be a lot scared."

She had to pause a moment to collect herself when his hiccups turned into shuttering sobs. There had been some tears shed during his stay, though most were accompanied by pained whimpers. This, however, was the first time Alicia had actually seen her son cry. "Artie, you've been through so much...and you've been so brave through it all."

Her words of comfort didn't seem to reach him, so she moved from the chair to the edge of his bed and began brushing his bangs from his forehead. Artie pressed his head further into the pillow, which was really the only thing he could do with a drastically weakened body and only full use of one arm, he began sobbing harder. "I don't wanna live in a special house and go to a special school..."

"Honey, who told you that?" Alicia cut in, aghast, and watched as Artie motioned over to the stack of pamphlets a social worker had dropped off earlier that afternoon. The one on top was titled 'Raising a handicapped child' and looked like it had been written sometime in the 70's.

Pushing aside the fear of hurting him to the back of her mind, Alicia crawled onto the bed and both gingerly and cautiously, pulled Artie onto her lap. "That's not going to happen," she whispered to the top of his head, which just happened to be snuggling up under her chin, and wrapped her arms around him.

It felt so good just to hold him again.

"I know it feels like the whole world has been flipped upside down right now," she continued by pressing soft kisses into his hair, "but you're going to come home to the same house, have the same room, sleep in the same bed, play with the same friends, and go to the same school you always have." Alicia let out a small sigh as she gave him a gentle squeeze of encouragement. "Now I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that everything is going to be the same as it was before, because we both know that it won't...but even though it's not the same, that doesn't mean it wont be okay."

Slowly and steadily, Artie began to calm. Alicia continued to stroke his hair and kiss his head. It was a few more minutes before she spoke again. "You know, Dad and I got some other news today that's going to change things even more," she started out cautiously, not entirely convinced this was the best time to spring this surprise on him. He looked up at her with still teary, but anxiously imploring blue eyes and she melted a little. "You're going to be a big brother again."

Artie's jaw fell open and he wiped at his eyes before shifting himself up a little so he could look his mother in the face. "A baby?" he gasped, then watched as she nodded. His lips began to twitch upwards as his eyes cast down at her still flat stomach. "When will it be here? I should be home by then, right? Do you know what it is yet? I hope it's a girl...I really want a little sister."

"You do?" Alicia asked, surprised, and Artie stopped rambling enough to nod. A small smile began to tug at her lips as well. "Well _he_ or she wont be here until spring, so we'll have plenty of time to prepare..." The words died in her throat...she was getting too far ahead of herself. _One day at a time, Alicia. _Taking in a steadying breath, she swallowed down the lump that was beginning to form. "Only Dad, myself, the doctor and now you know about this. That's the way we want to keep it for now...at least until we know that that baby's going to be okay." Her mind briefly drifted back to the painful miscarriage she suffered over four years earlier, but she quickly shook it away. "Can you do that for us, keep it a secret?" Artie nodded again, and Alicia raise a skeptical brow, "Even from Andy and your grandparents?"

A third nod and Artie beamed that smile that could light up an entire room. Alicia teared up again, happily this time. Bright eyes, rosy cheeks, and grinning from ear to ear... her sweet little boy was back. "There's my smile," she exclaimed, almost playfully. Artie blushed self-consciously and tucked his head into her shoulder. She ducked her head over his and whispered into his ear, "You want a song?"

At his enthusiastic nod, Alicia actually smiled. "Okay, but this is a special song and you have to promise me that whenever you get sad or frustrated, you'll remember it and do exactly what it tells you to do."

"Okay," Artie replied excitedly.

"Okay," Alicia repeated, a peaceful feeling coursing through her for the first time in weeks. She cuddled Artie closer to her chest, and began..."Smile though your heart is aching, Smile even though it's breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by..."

...

**_ANx2...Wow, two updates in two days(3 in 4 if you count Beauty..., that must be some kind of record for me). Like I said above, this is the chapter(scene) that started it all and I couldn't wait to post it. I also couldn't wait to show how quickly the tables turned for Alicia who is now the one thrust into giving the comfort instead of being on the receiving end(though she gets just as much comfort form Artie). I need to point out that this 'transformation' isn't as sudden as it may seem. She has in no way jumped from the denial stage right to acceptance(I don't think Alicia will ever truly 'accept' what happened to Artie, though she will always 'accept' him for who he is...if that makes any sense), she's just finally able to acknowledge what happened and start to move forward. _**

**_A Glee reference and a not so sad ending...we're definitely getting there:)_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**An authors note..**__**.So very happy with the positive response to the last chapter. Love you guys, thanks! This one immediately follows the last, is sort of a filler chapter, and has small periods of angst...which goes to show how the healing process is sometimes one step forward and two steps back.**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

As Alicia expected, her and Artie had a relatively restless night. They were both painfully aware that this would be the last night they'd be spending together for a while...family members were not allowed to stay with the patients at the rehabilitation center. And that in itself was going to be a major adjustment...for both of them.

So when he'd asked if she would stay in his bed with him, "just this one time" and with the reasoning that "sleeping on the chair might not be good for the baby", Alicia couldn't possibly say no. He fell asleep easily in her arms, and with a smile on his face. She laid there for a long time, just watching him, thanking God she still had her child to hold.

The morning was a rush of packing, paperwork and bittersweet goodbyes. It was hard for anyone to not to fall in love with those big blue eyes, that adorable smile and sweet, innocent disposition...the staff on this ward, as well as the pediatric ICU where Artie had spent ten days of his stay, were no exception.

The transfer itself was short and uneventful, though it did give Artie a opportunity to enjoy a little bit of fresh air and warm sun for the first time in a month. More paperwork and instructions were given out when they arrived and he was quickly moved from the transport gurney to yet another hospital bed.

There Artie sat, taking in his new surroundings. It was a private room, more plain than his last, but bigger and a bit homier. The charge nurse who checked him in, checked him out, and gave them a quick overview, said that they could bring in as many personal items as they'd like, to make his stay more pleasant...provided they take it all home when he's discharged. Artie liked that, but liked the idea of going home even better.

It wasn't long before she, nurse Robin, came back into the room. "You ready to get that cast off, Little Man?"

Artie's eyes went big and he looked from the nurse, to his mother, and back again.

"Dr. Murphy said he had two to four more weeks in the cast," Alicia balked in protest. She'd been given more information in the past two days than she could process, but of this she was certain.

The nurse nodded. "But he gave us the okay to replace this one with a short cast...right below the elbow. It's very important that we start strengthening that arm as quickly as possible." Artie broke out into wide smile that Robin couldn't help but return. "It'll be nice to be able to scratch your nose again, huh?" she quipped playfully.

Artie scrunched up his face and brought his right hand up to his nose in mock defiance. Robin played along and gave a fake glare of incredulity, then chuckled. "I'll go grab an orderly and we'll take you down to remove this one, then we'll get some quick x-rays that will tell us how you're healing and put on a brand new cast."

"Do I get to pick the color?" Artie asked hopefully.

"Of course," Robin returned enthusiastically, "we have an entire rainbow down there." Artie's impossibly widening grin made Robin laugh again, "I'll be right back."

A million thoughts were running through Alicia's head, but when Robin returned, a strangled gasp caught in her throat and only one thought remained. "This is Brad," she started out by introducing the large staff member to her left, while still keeping a close eye on the distraught looking mother. "He's going to help us to get you from point A to point B until you're able to do it for yourself."

"Is that mine?" Artie queried, eyeing the small wheelchair Brad pushed in with an excited curiosity.

"For now," Robin replied with a gentle smile. "You're getting a custom model my friend, fit just for you and your needs. And you know the best part?" she paused and watched as he shook his head in anticipation, "you get to help design it."

"Really?" he squealed with delight as he glanced between the nurse and his mother. Alicia's tight smile and shaky nod was met with Artie's exuberant, "Cool."

Robin left Brad get Artie situated while she tended to Alicia, who had turned her back and was obviously fighting tears. The emotional mother startled a bit when a comforting arm slipped around her shoulders. "I knew this was coming, but...I just...," she stuttered apologetically.

"Nobody can ever prepared for something like this," Robin assured her with a gentle squeeze. "And I know it will take some time to get used to, but this is the key to his independence." There was a pause while Robin turned away momentarily. "He's smiling," she whispered encouragingly.

At this, Alicia let out a teary chuckle and nodded. Robin smiled and said, "This is a good thing."

Alicia nodded again and from behind, she heard Brad's voice. "All set here, Rob."

The nurse turned attention back to her patient. "Let's roll then," she exclaimed.

"Wait," Artie called out, halting the procession. He looked between Brad and Robin and asked, "Can my mom push me?"

Alicia composed herself enough to face him and smile. She tried her best to hide her surprise at being asked and shock that the first thing she noticed about him was his beautiful face...not the chair. "Sure Honey," she managed and stepped over to take hold of the handles.

Robin smiled at the exchange. "Follow me."

...

**_ANx2...So sorry for the delay! Wishing everyone a very happy Thursday and wonderful Thanksgiving day to my fellow Americans._**


	10. Chapter 10

_**An authors note...**__**You guys rock! Your feedback means the world to me and gives me the opportunity to find out what you like/dislike, and what you might want to see more of. It's nice to know that reading about Artie's recovery is as important to you as writing it is to me. I could go on for months just focusing on that recovery. It is a very involved process, both physically and emotionally, and I'm not sure how much of that you'd like to 'see', or how detailed it should get. I was planning on having this chapter, and possibly one or two more before bringing Artie home. Please let me know if you feel that would be rushing things. Thanks ~Heart~ **_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _

**_Let It Be_**

The novelty of the wheelchair wore off much quicker than anticipated. Alicia was surprised that by the following week, just as she was slowly becoming accustomed to seeing him in it without bursting into tears, Artie decides he wanted nothing more to do with it...or anything else for that matter.

"Honey, please eat your lunch," Alicia found herself pleading with him for the third day in a row, "you have another physio session in a little bit and you need to build up your strength for it."

"I'm not hungry, and I don't wanna go anymore," he muttered in reply.

Alicia's worried expression softened a little. "Artie, you have to eat and work with your therapists," she returned as gently as possible. "It's what you need to do to get better..."

"I'm not gonna get better Mom, that's what the doctors all said, and I can't do anything about it...I can't _do_ anything at all," he shot back, but at the flash of anguish that clouded his mothers features, tuned his head away in shame so she wouldn't see his tears. "I hate this place."

His frustration was becoming more evident every day. Alicia could almost handle the anger if it wasn't for the despondency and sadness that went hand in hand with it. There was nothing more heartbreaking than watching her little boy, who was already struggling with tremendous physical pain, have to fight through depression. "I know this isn't easy for you Sweetie..."

There was a knock at the door and both mother and son were relieved to have the distraction of the nurse at the doorway. "You have some visitors," she announced with a blast of cheerfulness, unaware of the stormy conversation she had just interrupted.

Alicia raised a curious brow. There weren't many visitors at this time of day, especially on a Monday, and no one had called to let her know they were stopping by. If it were her parents bringing Andy, she would have definitely heard him running down the hall by now...

"I don't wanna see anybody."

Just as Artie uttered those soft words, Alicia saw two tired looking but very familiar faces appear behind the nurse. She forced a smile at them, then turned back to her son and asked, "Not even your new baby cousin?"

Artie looked up, wide eyed and curious. He stretched his neck as far as he could, then gave a shrug of concession. Satisfied with him at least showing some interest, Alicia sprang to her feet to embrace her baby sister. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to come see you guys yet," she greeted apologetically.

"She's only three days old Leesh," Colleen quipped dismissively, then threw a glance in the direction of her nephew. "And you've been a little busy," she added in a sympathetic whisper. "Which is why we decided to stop by to see you on our way home from the hospital." Volume increased for all ears to hear, Colleen gingerly stepped around her sister and into the room, "How's my Artie-bear doing today?"

The little boy looked up for needless confirmation. "Okay I guess," he responded, albeit distantly.

"Well you do look okay...but you don't seem okay," she countered with her usual, but gentle bluntness.

Artie slumped back onto his pillow, and whimpered softly, "I just wanna go home."

Colleen knew better than to look over at Alicia. Her raging pregnancy hormones were enough to set her over the edge, she didn't need the added heartbreak of seeing the grief-stricken expression that she knew was written all over her sisters face. Instead, she focused on her nephew. "And we all want that for you too..."

"Except for Andy...he told me so yesterday," Artie retorted with all the innocent honesty of his eight years.

Colleen bit back a chuckle. "Never mind what your brother says, he's only five," she countered casually, and slowly lowered herself to the corner of his bed. "Everyone loves you Artie and wants you home."

She didn't say 'as soon as you get better', or put any other reasoning to that statement at all, but Artie knew it was implied. "It's just really lots of hard work, and I still can't do hardly anything," he grumbled miserably. "It's taking forever."

Colleen scooted closer to Artie and flashed him a warm smile of encouragement. She was really good at that too. But before what she'd planned to say could even come close to leaving her lips, she caught a glimpse of her husband heading her way.

"Hi Uncle Bry," Artie called out to the figure who had just been liberated from the group of ogling nurses in the hallway.

"Hey there Buddy," Bryan returned with lively grin.

"Is that her?" Artie asked the rhetorical question as he motioned to the baby carrier in his uncle's grasp.

Bryan nodded and turned the seat while lifting it to rest on the bed. Artie shifted to his left, remembering to first nudge his legs over with his hand, to give his uncle more room. "She's cute," he said with an actual smile. "What's her name?"

"Elizabeth Anne," Colleen announced, matching his adoring expression with one of her own. "But we're going to call he Libby." Artie let out a small chuckle and tentatively reached a hand out to touch the baby. "Would you like to hold her?"

Artie glanced up at Alicia for permission, then after receiving it in the form of a watery smile, gave an enthusiastic nod. Once he was set up with pillows to support both him and Libby, the baby was placed in his good arm. Mother and son locked eyes again, before Artie's gaze briefly settled on her still flat stomach. His lips began to twitch upwards with anticipation, but he didn't say a word...his expression said it all.


	11. Chapter 11

_**An authors note...Thanks a bunch to all those who reviewed the last chapter. Sorry it took so long getting this one up. I wrote it and rewrote it so many times I lost count. I knew what I wanted in my head, but could never get it right on paper, then my muse started playing tricks on me and changed the mood/feel of it entirely.  
**_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

With a renewed sense of motivation, Artie pressed on as hard as he could. It wasn't easy work, but both he and Alicia knew that with every complaint, with every aching muscle and tear shed, they were getting him one step closer to where he needed to be.

Home.

Though it was now a home that was no longer accessible to him.

The phone call came on a Tuesday afternoon about seven weeks after the accident. Art wasn't expecting it, nor was he prepared when the business associate on the other line started out the conversation with a heartfelt, "Sorry to hear about your son."

"Don said his company would take care of all of the work, including materials. We would only be responsible for the labor, and he'd even give us a break on that," Art continued the discussion they'd started in the car on the way home from picking her up at the rehab center. "He also mentioned that if we were interested in installing a chair lift for the stairs, it would have to be handled by an specialized contractor, but he does have some connections in that..."

"Alicia?"

Startled from her state of distraction, Alicia looked over at her husband. "Don wants to meet with us tomorrow afternoon to discuss the renovations."

She paused for a moment and set down the towels she was methodically folding seconds ago. "Tomorrow? I can't. Now that his cast is finally off, Mark wants to take Artie down to the pool after his afternoon session."

"I guess we could probably reschedule," he returned easily. "What day would work better for you."

"I don't know." Another slight hesitation followed by a drawn out sigh. "You know what...why don't you just go ahead and handle it yourself."

"Like I have been doing with everything else around here," he countered, muttering under his breath.

"That's not fair Art."

He knew it wasn't and he never intended for her to even hear that, he just got so aggravated sometimes..."I'm sorry Babe, I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed. Between work, taking care of the bills, shuffling Andy around..."

"At least you have the luxury of being able to go to work and for a little while at least, forget any of this ever happened...Artie and I don't have that."

Even with her back turned to him, Art could tell she was about to cry. "Leesh, do you really think I can just forget what's happened?," he asked pointedly, but his voice was even and comforting as he wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders. "I'm constantly thinking about that, and the two of you. But I'm also looking ahead...to the future," he gave her an encouraging squeeze for emphasis. "Which is why we need to get this stuff done, like talk to Don about renovations, call up a few dealerships to see what type of accessible vehicles are available, meet with the lawyers..."

"Fine, I'll manage the bills from my laptop and take Andy to the center with me from now on," Alicia cut in to offer.

Art could feel the frustration bubbling up inside of him again. "That's not what I'm asking for Alicia and you know it," he countered, pulling away. "I need you to be there to make these important decisions with me. I can't do this on my own."

"And I can?"

It felt like a punch in the gut, one Art immediately started to feel he somehow deserved. "Don't you think I need you to be there too? Like when I have to meet with the social worker and therapists to discuss Artie's progress. Ad you still haven't come in for training on how to take care of him. I can't be the only one who knows how to change his catheter, and bathe him, and help with his nightly bowel routine..." The tears were flowing now, but not from anger or resentment, but utter desperation. "And I really think I need you there on Friday when we meet with the occupational therapist to order his wheelchair, because I don't know if I can handle..."

Alicia's face crumpled as she sank down onto the corner of the bed. Her soft, pained plea hitting Art harder than the last one. She'd always been the strong one, but it was becoming obvious how heavy this burden was weighing on her. It was unfair for him to assume she'd be able to handle all of this on her own. "Okay," he whispered soothingly into her hair, which caused her to look up at him in surprise. "I'll be there."

"It's at one-thirty."

Ignoring the little voice in the back of his head, reminding him of the lunch he had scheduled with important clients at that time, Art managed an encouraging smile. Family always came first, especially now. "I'll be there," he reiterated, without any hint of reservation.

Alicia nodded appreciatively as she snuggled up against him, reveling in the warmth of his embrace. After a few minutes of quiet comfort, she asked, "Do you think that maybe Don could meet with us at the center tomorrow? That way we could include Artie and his therapists in some of the planning."

"I think that's a great idea, I'll call him first thing in the morning," Art supplied, his grin widening genuinely. Tightening his hold, he pressed his lips to her head and made one more promise...that they'd get through this and come out stronger in the end.

And they'd do it, together.

...

**_ANx2...I'm still not sure how I feel about this one, but that's probably because I edited it so many times. My intention was to show the two sides of the spectrum...how Art and Alicia are dealing with this life changing event and also humanize them a little bit more...they're not perfect, they make mistakes, they argue, etc. Please let me know it this is something you'd like to see more of, or if you'd rather I return the focus back to Artie, and how he's dealing with things._**

_**P.S...to those it may concern(and you know who you are), I promise I have not abandoned my Quartie duties, I was gone a few days, but I'm back and will resume my forum posting, updating, reviewing, etc., as soon as I catch up on some much needed sleep.  
**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**An authors note...Thank you so much for the wonderfully encouraging reviews. I originally planned to incorporate some of this into the last chapter, but decided(during one of the many rewrites) that it would be better on it's own. Please don't hate me for going down this route, even if you think it's a bit ooc. Giving my original characters layers and depth and making them "real" was always my intention and I hope I've done just that with this chapter.  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _

**_Let It Be_**

They had slowly graduated from playing go fish to war to rummy, and were currently on their third game of the afternoon. He'd always had a knack for games and those of the card variety seemed to be no exception. Also much to his mothers chagrin, he was picking up poker and blackjack a lot quicker than she'd ever imagined. Not that she'd imagined her eight year old would ever be playing either.

There was a lot she would have never imagined her eight year old son would be doing...or have to endure.

"Mom, why doesn't Dad hug me anymore?"

All previous thoughts immediately disappeared. Alicia wasn't sure she'd heard him right. Her stunned blue eyes flickered up to meet identical imploring ones."What? Honey, I..." It was obvious she was struggling for something to say. But how was she supposed to respond to that? "Artie, I don't understand..."

The little boy glanced down, studying his cards as he cautiously continued. "Well, it's just when he visits, he always either gives me a high five or messes my hair up..." There was a pause as he pulled a shrug that was most likely meant to project an accepted indifference. It turned out to be not all that convincing.

"Maybe he thinks I'm too big for them now," Artie murmured softly, almost to himself. But when he looked up again, he could see tears starting to pool in his mothers eyes. Guilt gripped him. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry or get his dad in some kind of trouble. He was just curious as to why.

"Honey, I'm so sorry. I never noticed...," Guilt consumed her as well, but words failed.

"No, it's okay. Sorry. Let's just forget about it," he shot back with a quick to dismiss casualness. His eyes lifted and he flashed her the widest smile he could muster, "It's um...still your turn."

What could Alicia do but swallow the huge lump that had formed in her throat, give a shaky nod, and play her hand.

...

"Hey there Pal," Art called out as he stepped through the doorway of his sons room, stopping next to his wife to place a small kiss on her cheek first, before continuing inside.

"Hi Dad," Artie returned enthusiastically and grinned up at him.

"How was your day?", was the million dollar question.

"Great," Artie replied with an ever widening grin, "I beat Mom, five games to two."

"That's my boy," Art chuckled and held his hand up, signaling he was requesting a high five from Artie.

The little boy didn't look at his mother as the exchange took place, he didn't need to, he already knew she'd be watching. Only after, did he dare a glance in her direction to find her standing there, mouth parted in pained disbelief and eyes shinning. Those eyes met with his, and she quickly plastered on a mask of optimism. "He also mastered three very important tasks on his checklist today," she proudly pointed out after first clearing the building emotion from her throat.

"I took a shower all by myself," Artie clarified with an enthusiastic nod that morphed into a modest little shrug. "Mom stayed right outside the door in case I needed any help, but I didn't have to call her once."

"That's fantastic, Buddy." Art nodded encouragingly at his son, a soft smile spreading across his lips. Alicia's grin was predictably similar.

Artie beamed. "And Lauren said there's only a few more things I need to learn before I can come home," he stated with great satisfaction. "She also says we can go down to the therapy room whenever we want so you can see too...wanna go now?"

"Sure," Art replied, managing to hide his growing discomfort behind a smile as he gestured with his hand, "lead the way."

"Where's Andy?" Alicia asked once they were out in the hall, with Artie a safe distance ahead.

"I left him at your parents," he returned casually, "he had a long day."

"He's in half-day kindergarten Art," Alicia countered incredulously, thinking that was nothing compared to the kind of day their eldest had. "Artie's been working really hard. I wanted us all to be together for this."

"He still has that graduation type thing coming up?" Art asked more than stated. Alicia nodded. "We'll all be here for that," he promised, then quickly added, "He just didn't feel like coming today." That much was obvious, Andy never wanted to come see his brother. Though Alicia thought it best to keep that argument to herself.

As soon as they arrived, Artie got right down to business showing off his newly acquired skills. "I can almost make it all the way up the stairs Dad...watch."

But as much as he wanted to, Art just couldn't.

"He did this five or six times already today," with a small smile playing at her lips, Alicia started the commentary. "After the second try, he realized he could cheat a little and transfer right to the third step...where are you going?"

"I need a drink of water," Art replied, hastily breezing right past the water cooler on his way out the door.

Alicia found him right outside, leaning up against the wall with his hand over his face. It probably wasn't the best time, but the hall was empty and she just needed to know. "He asked me earlier if I knew why you don't hug him anymore." Art lifted his head, eyes wide with surprise. "I told him I didn't, but now I think I'm starting to understand."

"God Leesh, I never meant..." he trailed off, pausing to cough down his emotions. "I thought I was okay with it, you know? Thought I had it under control. But seeing him here, in that chair, struggling to do even the simplest..." He coughed again, but couldn't be bothered with wiping away the single tear that was making it's way down his cheek. "I'm not always sure what to say to him or how to act around him...and now, watching him drag himself up a flight of stairs..."

"He needs to learn how Art," Alicia cut in gently as she took a comforting step closer to him. "I don't want him to be stranded if there's an emergency somewhere and no elevator access, or at home, if our stair lifts break..."

"It's just so hard..."

Alicia nodded as she snaked her arm around his waist, and let her head fall to his chest. "I went through the same thing that first week we were here, when they were trying to teach him how to roll over. All I could think about was how he'd been rolling over since he was three months old and now he couldn't." Her eyes lifted toward his and they were brimming with tears. "I was so angry and devastated and...and then did it...and the look on his face, that smile, it was like he'd slayed Goliath..." Beaming with an expression of admiration, Alicia gave a small shrug, "...maybe to him, he had."

She was smiling now, tears falling, but happier ones this time. "It was then that I realized how truly lucky we were. When I think of how differently things could have turned out..." Art could feel her shutter underneath him, and he tightened his hold. Alicia took in a calming breath as was soon able to continue. "I know things have changed so drastically and we're all still grieving for everything we lost that day...all the dreams we had for him, all the dreams he had for himself...but we still have our little boy, and that's all that really matters."

There was no further need for words and the couple simply stood there, wrapped in each others embrace. "I'm going to get back," Alicia finally whispered after a few minutes.

They pulled apart and Art nodded, but made no attempt to follow her. "I'll be in, in a few."

Though mildly disappointed, Alicia didn't press the issue.

"Mom look I did it," Artie called excitedly from atop the platform of the staircase apparatus, "Up _and_ down this time."

"That's wonderful Sweetie," she croaked out proudly as she cupped her hands around his cheeks and placed a kiss to his forehead.

"Up, down, back in the chair and out again, a few times," Lauren, his therapist elaborated pointedly.

Artie blushed sheepishly and looked between the two women before asking, "Where's Dad?"

Without letting her smile falter, Alicia answered, "He's coming."

"I'm right here," Art's voice rang out right after hers.

Artie grinned up at him. "I can get up and down the stairs now, wanna see?"

Art smiled back. "Already did," he replied with a casual jut of his chin, "Had a clear shot of everything through that window in the door."

Alicia's expression softened tenderly. That explained the set gaze that he almost never broke. She watched as that same contact was now maintained between father and son. "I'm so proud of you Artie," Art added, just a beat later. "Really, really proud."

The little boys smiled spread from ear to ear and a small chuckle escaped his lips. "Thanks Dad."

As Art looked into those eyes he first fell in love with fifteen years ago, then again just seven years later...his heart swelled all over again. "What do you say we go down to the cafeteria, and celebrate with some ice cream?" he suggested playfully, then chuckled at Artie's enthusiastic nod. "Just the two of us."

It came out sounding more like a question than Art had intended, and left Artie glancing at his mother for validation. At her nod, his grin became impossibly wide. "Sure." But just as he was preparing for his descent and transfer, a strong pair of hands appeared in front of him.

"Here, let me help."

Keeping one hand at his side for balance, Artie lifted the other, and soon he was in his fathers embrace. "Is this okay?" Art asked cautiously as he shifted his arms to give Artie enough support . "I'm not hurting you, am I?

The happy little boy didn't answer, he just threw his arms around his fathers neck and pulled himself up enough so he could rest his head on that large comforting shoulder...and squeezed.

...

**_ANx2...my sincerest apologies for the delay in this update. Megan knows how much trouble I was having with this chapter, and unfortunately, the problems I was having with it didn't resolve themselves as easily as I thought they would. But it's done and I'm moderately happy with it, so now I can finally move on. _**


	13. Chapter 13

_**An authors note...The response to chapter twelve was overwhelming and simply amazing. I thank you all so much for your support. This chapter is actually my longest so far. They won't all be this long, I promise. I did say these were glimpses and glimpses are supposed to be short, but of course some are longer than others. And if I wasn't rambling so much in this authors note, it would be much shorter:)  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _

**_Let It Be_**

"Why do we hafta go so early?" young Andy Abrams whined to his mother as she crouched down to tie his shoes.

"Your brother has a day pass today," she explained, her excitement battling head to head with the apprehension she was feeling. "And we want to make sure he gets to do as much as he can in that time."

"Can we go to the zoo?"

Alicia forced a smile up at her little boy. "The zoo's pretty far away Andy," she returned, letting him down as gently as she could. "And probably a little more than Artie can handle right now."

"What about Bouncin' Bob's?" he squealed, jumping up and down like he would on one of the inflatables housed at that very establishment. Alicia exchanged a sorrowful glance with Art as she slowly rose to her feet.

"Andy, your brother can't do those kinds of things anymore," Art replied apologetically, when it became obvious Alicia wouldn't be able to.

"But I still can," he reasoned with all of his nearly six years.

Alicia cleared the building emotion from her throat. "I know Sweetie, but today's about Artie..."

"Everything's always about Artie," he grumbled back and stomped his foot.

Alicia's stomach twisted with guilt as she knelt back down beside him. "Well what do you say we get there, hear what Artie's ideas are, and see if there isn't something you two boys can agree on?"

Appeased for now, Andy nodded and slipped his arms into the jacket his mother was holding open for him.

...

"So Ace," Art began, trying out the new nickname he, just days before, had given to Artie, "what do you want to do today?"

"I don't know," the little boy shrugged, his mouth spreading from contemplative twist to wide smile, "Can we go get a Happy Meal?"

"Yeah," Andy seconded, quite enthusiastically.

Shinning eyes shifting between her sons, Alicia let out a small chuckle. "I think we can arrange that for lunch. What should we do in the mean time?"

"Can we go pick out Halloween costumes?" Andy suggested. "My friend Tyler said his mom already bought his."

"I haven't even thought about Halloween yet," Alicia gasped in disbelief, just realizing that October was only two days away, "but if that's what you guys want to do..."

"Sure," Artie beamed in agreement.

"It's a beautiful day. Maybe after lunch we could go to the pumpkin patch and pick some out," Art proposed next.

"And go on the hay ride and moon walk and the super slide..."

Alicia glanced cautiously over at Artie who thankfully seemed unfazed by his brothers suggestions. Art caught the tense look his wife threw his way. "Or we could just take the pumpkins back to the house and carve them..."

And that's when his expression changed.

"Artie?" Alicia called guardedly. "Honey, if you don't want to go to the pumpkin farm..."

"No, it's not that," he cut in hesitantly. "I don't think I wanna go home yet," then muttered softly, almost cautiously. A flash of surprise spread over his parents features, ending in a look of disappointment. "I mean I do want to...I really, really want to..." he paused, his eyes anxiously darting between the two of them before finally settling on his mother. "I'm just afraid that if I do, I won't wanna come back here...and I still have two more weeks 'til I can go home for good."

A look of relief mixed with heartache softened Alicia's expression. "Okay Honey," she cooed softly, smiling as her hand gently caressed his shoulder, "we'll have plenty of time to do that stuff when you're home for good."

...

"So what do you think Ace?" Art asked as he piloted Artie's chair out the front doors of the rehabilitation center.

Artie looked at the new midnight blue van, the one he knew was theirs, sitting in the third handicapped parking spot and smiled. "It looks even nicer than in the pictures."

"Wait 'til you see the inside," Art boasted and punched the key pad that allowed the side door to open and lower the ramp to the ground.

"Cool," Artie exclaimed, putting his hands to his rims in an impatient effort to get there sooner. He let his father help him up into the van and listened intently while he explained how to properly and safely secure his chair and himself inside.

Once buckled, Alicia asked, "Ready to go?" Artie glanced up and nodded enthusiastically as the ramp was raised.

"Why don't you drive?" Art suggested a beat later, dangling the keys over her shoulder.

Alicia's face blanched as she turned to face him. She gave a definitive shake of the head.

"Leesha, you said you'd start driving again once we got the new van," he reminded her. "We've had it almost a week now..."

"I know," she sighed, cutting him off mid sentence, "and I will. I promise. Just not right now."

He brought an encouraging half smile to his lips, and looped an arm around her waist. "Babe, this is the perfect opportunity to..."

"No," she insisted, letting out a shaky breath as she pulled away from him. "Please Art...just...not now."

With a heavy heart, Art watched Alicia climb into the passenger side seat and close the door. Only then, when he noticed a saddened pair of eyes peering at him through the grate of the ramp, did he realize his mistake. He'd forgot to close the door after the ramp was lifted, giving Artie full disclosure to the incident that had just transpired.

...

Artie tried not to let hearing that his mother hadn't driven since the day of the accident, bother him too much. This was supposed to be a good day.

'Field trips' were nothing new to him. Group outings with some of the other patients from the center and his mom as his chaperon, occurred only a weekly basis. But today was the first time Artie would be going out with just his family.

The short drive to the nearest Target was probably the single most exciting thing Artie had experienced in the past two and a half months. He sang along with his mother and the radio. Laughed at every bad attempt his father made trying to be funny. Talked with Andy about Legos and cartoons.

Normal stuff.

Well, except for having his mother look back and smile at him every seventeen seconds, like she couldn't believe he was actually sitting there.

Once they arrived, Andy was so anxious to get into the store, he immediately began to complain when he had to wait for the ramp to lower so he could get out of the van. Getting the closest parking spot to the door though, seemed to more than make up for it.

"C'mon, we hafta get to the costumes," Andy called impatiently when the rest of his family wasn't moving fast enough for him.

Alicia fell in step next to Artie. She was getting really good at reading the unspoken signs he was giving off and anticipating his needs...especially those that signaled he was in need of a hand, getting tired, or was in pain. Right now though, he was just beaming.

"Oooh toys," Andy squealed, drifting off course to look at the action figures, while Art veered toward the electronics.

It was a while before they made it over to the seasonal section, but took no time at all for Andy to choose his costume.

"What did you tell him?" Art asked under his breath.

"I told him the truth, money's tight right now and we can't afford to spend forty dollars on something he's going to wear once," she whispered in reply. "They have another Buzz Lightyear costume for about twenty, but he doesn't want it because it doesn't light up."

"I'll go talk to him," Art offered, "tell him that maybe we can work something out if it goes on sale." He motioned past where Artie was down the aisle, to Andy, who was sulking by the shopping cart.

"Did you find anything you like Sweetie?" Alicia asked, stopping next to her eldest.

"Not really," he answered, shaking his head. "I think I'll just be Harry Potter again."

"Your costume from last year?" she returned questioningly. Artie nodded, figuring if his parents didn't have to buy him a new costume, they would be able to afford to get Andy the one he wanted. It was the least he could do, considering their money troubles were probably due to his massive medical expenses. "Are you sure Honey?"

Artie nodded again, shifting uncomfortably as his eyes scanned the crowded store. "Can we go to lunch now?"

...

Artie was starting to think that going to the world's most popular fast food restaurant, on a Saturday, right at noon, might have been a bad idea.

He could feel his chest pounding, that familiar buzzing in his ears, which actually turned out to be his mothers voice...

"Hmmm?"

"I asked if you wanted a cheeseburger or nuggets," Alicia repeated her previous question. "Artie honey, are you feeling okay?"

He lifted his big blue eyes to hers and shook his head. Just short of panicking, Alicia forced a smile on her face and waved the couple behind them to go ahead before guiding Artie over to the nearest table. "What's wrong?" she asked looking him over for obvious signs of distress or illness, checking his forehead for fever with the back of her hand...

"Everyone's staring."

Her heart sank and dropped her down onto the booth bench behind her. She clasped her hands in her lap and fixed her gaze on them, willing her tears to abate.

Stares were nothing new either. They'd dealt with them on the previous outings with the others from the center. But that was in a group setting, who wouldn't stare at a procession of wheelchairs and walkers and a group of people with varying disabilities? This was the first time Artie had to deal with this on his own, where all the stares were aimed at him. And he didn't like it.

After what seemed like forever, Alicia cleared her throat and found her voice. "Sweetie I know it's hard, and I wish that everyone would realize it isn't polite to stare...but I don't think they're doing it purposely to make you uncomfortable...," she paused, pulling him as close as she could and laying her hand on top of his. "I think that maybe they're just curious about you and what happened to you...before this, I never knew anyone who used a wheelchair." His mothers admission made Artie's eyes widen in disbelief and her lips to part slightly. "Or maybe they admire you for your courage and strength," she continued, and so did the beginning of a smile, "or just can't take their eyes off the most handsome young man they've ever seen." She was grinning now, and so was he. Alicia cupped his cheek with her hand, and gently rubbed her thumb back and forth. "I know I can't."

Without missing a beat, Artie's arms flew open in a gesture Alicia easily reciprocated. After their hug, he straightened up, let out a deep breath, held his head high and smiled. "I'll have a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake."


	14. Chapter 14

_**An authors note...Lot's of love from those who reviewed and that warms my heart more than I can say. Thank you all so very much.**__** I know we're still moving a bit slowly, but time will be stretching here soon.**__** Good news is he's going home, bad news...still some angsty parts on the horizon.  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _

**_Let It Be_**

Alicia felt conflicted. She wasn't sure what was the best way to go about this. On one hand, she wanted to stand on the rooftop and shout to all the world how happy she was. She wanted to celebrate and rejoice in the fact that her son was finally coming home after three months in the hospital. But on the other hand, she didn't want to overwhelm Artie. Didn't want to make him feel like a spectacle, or be thrust into a situation where all the focus was placed on him...something he still wasn't very comfortable with.

As it turned out, she didn't need to make that decision, Artie's doctors made it for her...releasing the boy the two days before he was scheduled. Artie himself had been dropping little hints that he would prefer his first day back at home to be small and simple.

Alicia was grateful for the change, especially considering his original release date was to fall on the three month anniversary of the accident. Three very long, bittersweet months.

Saying goodbye was joyous but hard yet again. These people, who had helped Artie and the family as a whole, in such immeasurable ways...caring for them, comforting them, teaching them. A few he'd see again as an outpatient, but the majority he'd most likely never run into again...but they all had such an intricate roll in his recovery, and his future. No words would ever come close to conveying their gratitude.

All too soon, the bittersweet goodbyes were replaced with anxiousness and apprehension...fear of the unknown, having to use what they learned and apply it to everyday life, without having that support group to pick up any pieces that may fall. Sure, they had their amazing extended families there to help if needed, but ultimately the everyday stuff was theirs to deal with alone. And that reality was more than just a little scary.

Alicia kept a careful watch on Artie the entire ride home. He seemed alright as he curiously glanced out the windows of the van, just a bit quieter than usual. Then Alicia noticed he was wringing his hands together in his lap, and her heart ached for him. He was nervous...about going_ home_.

He flashed her an excited smile once they started passing landmarks and sights he recognized, and that smile turned into an ear to ear grin when reached the entrance to their subdivision. Alicia was able to relax a little when that happened.

As they neared the house, Art slowed the van to a crawl which allowed him to describe the minor changes they had made to the outside in detail; such as the sloping concrete ramp that replaced the steps leading up to the front porch, the new path that now wrapped around the house, to the backyard, as well as the two smaller ramps, one at the garage entrance and the other strategically place outside the french doors of the kitchen to allow Artie access to the back deck. Though once out there, he wouldn't be able to get to the backyard. Art told him they were planning on changing the layout of that whole area, but that project was going to have to wait until spring.

Artie watched with anticipation as the garage door lifted and waited excitedly for the ramp to be lowered so he could get out. With his mother entering his field of vision, and his father still talking about the renovations, a genuine smile tugged at his lips.

He was home.

"I really like the balloons...thanks," he graciously told them as they assisted in getting him out of the van.

"That's nothing," Art quipped teasingly, his gaze darting playfully between his wife and son, "wait 'til you see what your mother did to the inside...it looks like we're having a birthday party for quintuplets in there." Art caught the questioning look Artie was giving him and chuckled, "Quintuplets is five babies born at once."

"Oh no Honey, _we're _not having five babies," Alicia quickly supplied when she saw Artie's expression turn from inquisitive to panicked, and let her own small giggle escape as she patted her barely rounding belly. "As far as I know, it's just the one."

Artie visibly relaxed at his mothers reassurance, then tugged his chair forward and onto the cement floor of the garage. That's when he saw it...his precious blue bike, hanging on the rack on the side wall. Only it wasn't his bike anymore, and it would hang there, unused, until Andy was old enough to ride it. His gaze drifted down to his new set of wheels, but it didn't have to linger there very long; for as soon as his tummy felt twisty and his eyes began to get moist, his mother's voice rang out asking if he was ready to go inside.

It was a strange feeling, being back; it was both familiar, yet different. The kitchen looked brighter than usual and the house smelled like cinnamon apples, his mothers favorite fall scent...and his too.

"Mom made apple pie_ and _chocolate cake," Art announced, stepping behind his son and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "And she said you can pick whatever you want for dinner tonight.

Artie beamed up at both of them.

They let Artie move at his own pace, giving him the time he needed to acclimate himself to the changes, but followed close behind in case he had any questions.

Passing through the kitchen into the dinning room, Artie bit back a giggle at the sight his father described. The kitchen decorations had been pretty extreme, but this room contained more balloons, streamers, and banners he had ever seen in his life. He also noticed that one chair had been removed from each of the tables and set off to the side

"I know it's a bit difficult on the carpet," Alicia commented as she watched him struggle a little to move effectively through the room. "Your therapists said that would get easier in time, but if it becomes a problem for you, we could always have it removed...upstairs too."

Artie nodded but he really didn't want that. He liked his house just the way it was, and mix of hardwood and plush carpeting.

"It's almost the same as the one you learned to use at the center," Art stated, describing the chair lift at the base of the stairs. At Artie's second nod and hard push forward, Art turned curious. "Did you maybe want to up now and see the bathroom? Or your bedroom? Maybe take a nap if your tired."

Artie shook his head this time causing Alicia and Art to exchange alarmed glances. He hadn't uttered a single word since they came into the house.

Moving toward the family room, the concerned parents followed closely. They watched as his eyes scanned the room, and he immediately broke out into a wide grin.

"What is it Honey?" Alicia asked, a warmth spreading over her just at the sight of him smiling.

"Nothing's different in here," he answered softly, but with much conviction.

I was a bit ironic that with all the changes the family had made to make Artie's new life just a little bit easier, he found the most comfort in what hadn't.

Glancing up at his mother, he smiled at her. "I really missed home, Mom."

Alicia pulled a teary smile as she leaned forward to tenderly press a kiss to the top of his head. "Home really missed you too, Artie."

**_ANx2...Apologizing again for the delay, delayed even more by last minute edits and an almost entire revamp of this chapter. Hope I didn't screw it up too badly._**


	15. Chapter 15

_**An authors note...All of my inspiration comes from your reviews and comments, so I thank you all very much. The next two chapters will continue where the previous ones left off(give or take a few hours) then the story will pick back up again with a more random time line. I could probably go on forever, writing a chapter about each day of Artie's life from this until the present(and those that I skipped over previously), but I won't do that to you guys(sorry Megan:{) **_

**_Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

**_Let It Be_**

It was ironic that the person who had the hardest time dealing with having Artie at home that first night, was Alicia. Art likened her nervous energy to a caffeinated bunny rabbit. She wasn't particularly amused by that.

"Come to bed Leesha," Art whispered as he stepped up behind her.

"I will," she sighed, resting her head against the doorway of Artie's bedroom.

"He's been asleep for almost two hours now," Art pointed out gently.

A nod, followed by a shrug, then the release of another heavy breath. "Maybe I should sleep in here tonight." Art's expression softened, but he was still staring at her with that incredulous gaze. "What if he needs something?" she queried pleadingly.

"Then he'll call for us," he answered casually. "We're right down the hall."

"He'll need to shift position soon."

"And he has a little timer/alarm clock that goes off every four hours, to reminds him to do that."

"But what if it doesn't wake him, or he forgets to reset it?"

"Alicia." His tone wasn't condescending, just concerned, and slightly exhausted sounding. She was too.

Turning back to gaze at their sleeping boy, her tears began to fall easily. Suddenly a pair of warm arms were snaking around her waist and a gentle voice at her ear. "Alicia?"

"I'm afraid to leave him alone Art," she admitted softly.

"Babe, he just spent the last three months in the hospital..."

"Exactly," she cut in, shuttering, "in the hospital, constantly surrounded by medical personnel..."

"Alicia, we're going to do just fine," Art assured her as he guided her around to face him.

"But there are so many things that could go wrong...so many complications..." It was obvious to Art there was more to it than that, and the next words she uttered, undoubtedly confirmed it..."I don't want to loose him."

It was an unlikely scenario, but their new reality was there may be issues that could arise as a result of Artie's disability which could prove to be potentially fatal for him...but then again, so could crossing the street.

"Alicia?"

"I know, I'm overreacting again," she replied, already wiping the tears from her eyes.

"No you're not...because I'm scared of that too," Art blurted out a confession of his own. With head lowered against her temple, he pulled her a little closer. "When I think of how close I came to loosing you both...," his words trailed off, but he was able to recover almost immediately. "But we were given a second chance...and a third...," Art's eyes danced as his gaze drifted down to his wife's belly at the same time she let out a small gasp of surprise.

"Mom?" Artie called groggily from his bed, "What's wrong?"

Alicia smiled. In her momentary excitement, she'd forgotten she was standing in his doorway. "I think I felt the baby."

"Really?" he asked, sounding slightly more awake now. "Can I feel?"

"No Honey...not quite yet." She hated having to disappoint him, but it was going to be at least a few more weeks before anyone else would be able to feel the baby move. "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to wake you," Alicia apologized as she closed the distance between them. "Dad and I were just going to bed," she threw a glance over her shoulder at Art and easily returned the smile he was giving her. "Do you need anything?"

Even in just the soft glow of his nightlight, she could see him shake his head. "Are you warm enough? Thirsty? Do you maybe want me to stay..."

"No Mom, I'm fine," he assured her through a yawn.

"What do you say we shift you now so you don't have to bother with that again for a while?"

At his garbled "Okay", Alicia smiled and helped him roll onto his other side, making sure to tuck him in, reposition the pillow between his knees and reset the timer before placing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"Night Mom," he called, just as his eyes started to drift shut again, "night Dad...night Baby."

"Goodnight Artie." And it was.

...

**_ANx2...A little snippet to show a glimpse into what Art and Alicia's were going through that first night. But don't worry, Artie will be featured heavily in the next chapter._**


	16. Chapter 16

_**An authors note...**__**To those who have been with me from the beginning and those of you who have just hopped on for the ride;) I adore all of you and appreciate you so very much. I hope you enjoy this update, I know it took me forever to post, and I'm sorry for that, but maybe it will be worth your wait.  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _

**_Let It Be_**

Friday was Artie's first official, full day back at home, and the very first thing Alicia was letting him do was sleep in. With the strict schedule he was forced to follow in both the hospital and at the rehab center, sleeping past 7am was one thing he hadn't been able to do since his doctors lifted sedation. While he still had a routine and some very important rules to comply with on a daily basis, he was no longer required to have a group of people dictating his every minute...well, except maybe his parents.

Art had taken the day off of work as well, an action for which Alicia was truly grateful for. Artie's therapists, both physical and psychological emphasized how important a strong family unit was during this phase of his adjustment period was. The next few weeks were crucial to how well that adjustment goes.

The family ended up spending the day in their pajamas, with Andy being allowed to skip his half day of Kindergarten much like his father had skipped work. They played games, watched movies, and ended their epic pajama party with pancakes and ice cream for dinner.

All too soon though, the reality of their new life had to make it's return. Artie's first session of physiotherapy as an outpatient, was scheduled for the next morning.

Returning home after a quick trip to the grocery store, Art parked the van in driveway to let the boys, who were already arguing about who was going to get the mail, out. Something about that small simple display of sibling rivalry made Alicia smile. She retrieved the two bags from the back of the van then turned to find Artie parked at the base of the ramp, staring at the drove of neighbors walking toward them. His curious blue eyes lifted upward in askance, but judging by the look on his mothers face, she was just as surprised as he was to be seeing this.

Alicia sent an imploring gaze over at Art, who just shook his head in disbelief. This was not the way they wanted to integrate Artie back into everything his life was before the accident.

"I know you said it was going to be soon but honestly, I was a little surprised to see the balloons go up on Thursday...

The announcement came from the neighbor directly across the street and the blocks biggest gossip, Jill Mayer. It only made sense that she'd be the one to amass a welcoming committee in just the three hours they'd been gone

"Then when Art didn't leave for work yesterday..." Thrusting a large covered casserole dish at said neighbor, Jill enveloped Alicia into a melodramatic hug, before bending down at the waist to acknowledge the young boy sitting in front of her. "Welcome home Artie," she exclaimed loudly and made it a point to enunciate each syllable as if he couldn't understand her anymore.

Alicia could feel her blood boiling. She wanted nothing more than to scoop her son into her arms and run inside where she would put him in a bubble to protect him from the ignorance of the world. But he surprised her...and made her very, very proud.

"Thanks Mrs. Mayer," he returned simply, and without the slightest bit of hesitation.

The older woman straightened awkwardly and shot a meek glance between Art and Alicia before clearing her throat, "It's chicken noodle casserole."

"Thank you," Alicia returned genuinely, trying to push aside any irritation the previous exchange had caused...after all, it was the thought that counted. Right?

"We made you cookies Artie," the voice of five year old Nathaniel Brady, rang out.

At that moment, Alicia locked eyes with her truest friend and closest neighbor, Sarah Brady and the two moms shared a smile. For the past three years, their boys had been inseparable. Jeremy their oldest played with Artie, even though the latter was a grade behind him, and Nate and Andy, who were only a month apart, had gone to preschool together, played on the same soccer and t-ball teams, and were now in the same Kindergarten class. And for the past three months, Sarah had been a great source of support for Alicia and the family.

"Thanks Mrs. B," Artie beamed, accepting the neatly wrapped package of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies...his favorite.

"We're so happy to have you home Artie," came the sincere reply as she leaned down to give him a hug. It was then that he spotted his friend standing a few feet back, next to Mr. Brady who was busy talking to his dad. Artie pulled a smile to his lips and was just about to lift his hand in preparation to wave, but as soon as Jeremy was caught staring, he abruptly glanced away...that strange look that Artie was becoming all to familiar with, etched on his face.

"So you can't walk anymore...like never?"

"Nate," Sarah scolded lightly under her breath as she broke the embrace she had Artie in. She flashed an apologetic grimace to which Artie returned with a dismissive smile.

"Nope." With that one word, he answered the younger boys question truthfully, using that soft, matter-of-fact tone he'd recently adopted. "But that's okay 'cause I can still do lots of other things," Artie supplied, almost as an afterthought, though his tone was strong and certain and loud enough for the whole group to hear.

A feeling of something far beyond pride spread through Alicia.

"Can you still play tag?" Nate asked just a beat later.

Sarah was about to respond to that, when Artie beat her to it with an enthusiastic, "I think so."

A grin spread across the five year-old's face as he tapped Artie's shoulder and called, "You're It," before taking off across the lawn.

Artie looked up at his mother for confirmation and validation and approval and support and..."What should_ I_ do?"

Alicia chest clenched tightly as she forced a watery smile and encouraged him gently, "Go play."

With the familiar melody of the kids playing a few yards over, Alicia began to ease herself back into the role of friendly neighbor...but when she noticed Artie heading back home not long after he'd left, the anxious mother hen in her returned. "Are you okay?" she asked, automatically fearing the worst.

He gave a nod and a small smile. "Everyone went to Eric's."

"Oh hey Buddy...you're dad and I can help you get inside," Jim, Eric's dad offered accommodatingly.

"...to ride bikes," Artie finished softly.

It didn't take long for the air around them to become thick, and eerily quiet. "Here, let me go talk to them..."

"It's okay Mr. Lynch," Artie called out, stopping him, "I'm kinda tired." He turned to Alicia, "Mom, can we go inside now."

"Sure Sweetie," she said, and quickly excused herself from the group.

"I'll go get Andy," Art whispered to her in passing, to which Alicia gave an appreciative nod.

"If you need to lie down..."

"I'm not that tired Mom," Artie cut in with a small giggle.

"But you're okay, right?" she queried, her concern bubbling over. "Nothing happened over at Jeremy's."

He couldn't quite meet her gaze, so instead settled for an indifferent shrug. "They got bored," he explained casually, "I didn't make a very good It."

Alicia's expression softened and her hands instinctively went to his shoulders. "Just wait, in no time at all you'll be able to keep up with them again," she assured him with all the confidence she had in him.

Artie flashed his mother a smile and gave another nod as he pushed off for the living room in search of the book he was reading last night. Maybe she was right, maybe they weren't purposely running faster because they knew he couldn't catch them, maybe they didn't know how difficult it was for him to move on grass, maybe they weren't actually laughing_ at_ him, maybe...


	17. Chapter 17

_**An authors note...**__**My deepest gratitude to all of you wonderful readers/reviewers...you make writing this so much fun. I promised some lighter chapters, and this is one of them...with just a sliver of angst(I'm afraid I can't help myself). I hope you enjoy it!  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

The weekend passed without further incident, but brought a steady stream of visitors. Alicia's entire family stopped by sometime between late afternoon Saturday and early evening Sunday, since they all lived fairly close, with her parents dropping in on both days. Art's side however, had farther to travel and planned on welcoming Artie home the following weekend.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home again today?," Art asked as he snaked an arm around his wife's waist.

Alicia smiled at him appreciatively. "You've already missed so much..."

"One of the many perks of being the boss," he quipped playfully, even though being away from the office as much as he had, was beginning to take a slight toll on his staff.

She smiled, but shook her head dismissively. "No, you go ahead...me and the boys will be fine."

Art followed her wistful gaze over to where their two sons were gathering at the kitchen table to eat breakfast. His grin widened when he heard her call out, "So what do you guys want to eat this morning?"

And he laughed when they both replied instantaneously...

"Cereal."

"Scrambled eggs."

At Alicia's sigh of mock annoyance, Art bit back a chuckle and walked over to place a departing kiss on her cheek before promising to call her later.

...

Alicia was amazed at how quickly time passed when it was just the three of them. No sooner had the breakfast dishes gone into the dishwasher, when she realized it was already time to make lunch.

Luckily, both boys agreed on what they were going to eat for this meal...though their drink preferences were quite different. Artie was just about to suggest either apple juice or milk when he remembered..."I'll just have water." He wasn't totally clear on why he needed to, but his nurses and mother were always reminding how important it was for him to make sure he was drinking enough.

Andy didn't say anything immediately, he simply slipped from the chair he was sitting on and casually walked over to the freezer.

"Andy honey, what are you doing with the ice cream?" Alicia couldn't help but ask once he appeared from behind the door.

"Making a root beet float," he replied as casually as Artie had asked for his water.

Alicia raised a skeptical brow. "For lunch?"

"Yeah, Aunt Colleen made them for me every time I stayed with her," he returned innocently.

"Of course she did," Alicia grumbled playfully under her breath as she reached out to retrieve the carton. Her youngest sister had always strove to be the 'coolest Aunt ever', however self-proclaimed that title may have been. Alicia shook her head disapprovingly, but one look at the hopeful expressions both boys were wearing, and she caved with an exaggerated sigh. "Okay, but just this once."

"I'll get the root beer," Artie exclaimed, excited for the treat, as well as the opportunity to actually be able to help out. He moved as quickly as he could to the pantry, remembering he saw the plastic bottles of soda sitting on the floor in the corner. He carefully maneuvered as much into the closet as he could, calculated each move so as to best maintain his balance while leaning forward, just like they taught to do him in rehab...but he couldn't quite reach.

"You need some help in there Sweetie?" Alicia called out when she heard some rustling going on behind her.

"No thanks, I think I got it this time," Artie answered back. But before he was able to make the attempt, Andy wordlessly squeezed past him, grabbed the two liter and slipped back out.

Seeing him slowly trail after his brother, it wasn't hard for Alicia to realize what had happened. "That was Artie's job, Andy," she gently informed her youngest.

"But he was taking too long," the little boy whined in reply, "the ice cream's already starting to melt."

"Some things are going to take him a little longer to do," she reminded him, just as tenderly, and flashed an encouraging smile Artie's way. "We need to be really patient and give him the chance to do those things for himself. Okay?"

The youngster simply nodded and handed the bottle over before making his way back to his seat. Artie was just about to follow Andy's lead when a loud hiss, a yelp from his mother, and a fine mist, stopped him cold. He looked over to find his mother futilely trying to control the eruption of root beer from the bottle. "Quick Honey...can you grab me some paper towels."

Artie didn't have to look over at the counter to know. "I can't reach those either...but I think I saw some in the pantry..."

"That's okay Sweetie, just hand me a dish towel out of the drawer," Alicia cut in desperately, her eyes darting between the quickly spreading liquid and her distraught looking son. "I can throw it right into the wash."

Sporting a frown that was a cross between frustration and disappointment, Artie did what he was told, then grabbed a second towel to help with the cleanup, while Andy pulled the step stool out of the cabinet under the sink and easily climbed up to retrieve the roll of the paper variety.

Finished sopping up the mess, Alicia collected the wet rags and tossed them into the sink, the paper ones into the trash. She turned back to the center island to pour the soda and was met with a pair of big blue be-speckled orbs peering at her, though they barely cleared the edge of the counter top. "Sorry Mom."

"Sorry for what? You weren't the one who jostled the pop too much," she countered, pulling a smile to match the playful tone of her voice. "Or the one who didn't wait to open the bottle."

But that wasn't what he was referring to and Artie slowly lowered his gaze. "I wasn't able to..."

And in an instant Alicia was kneeling in front of him. "No Honey, don't get discouraged, it...," the plea died in her throat as she watched him twist his fingers in his lap. Her chest began to tighten, she raised her arm to tenderly cup the back of his head with her hand, and waited for his eyes to meet hers. "What do you say, after lunch, the two of us go to the store and see if we can't find some things that will help make the kitchen more accessible to you?"

His eyes widened and a smile began to spread across his lips.

"I wanna go too."

Alicia let out a small chuckle as she glanced over her shoulder. "But you have school," she reminded Andy, only to be met with a grumble and deep sigh.

"How come Artie gets to stay home and I hafta go to school?" he demanded.

"Andy, we've already discussed this...Artie will be able to return to school in a few weeks, once he's had some time to adjust to..."

"I wanna justment period too," he cut in, using the term he'd heard quite often these past few days, albeit grammatically incorrect.

Alicia couldn't help but smile at him. Still crouched, she turned to face forward, keeping one hand on the armrest of Artie's chair and placing the other on Andy's leg. "How about you go to school today, and every day this week, and we can work on your adjustment period over the weekend?"

Andy thought about it for a second, then reluctantly nodded. Alicia beamed. "Great, now let's finish lunch...we don't want you to be late for the bus," she chuckled, patting his knee.

...

It was a mad rush to get the dishes cleared, the lunch messes cleaned up and Andy out to the bus stop in time. Half day Kindergarten was not very conducive when errands needed to be run, and with Artie in tow, things took just a little bit longer now. Worried that they wouldn't have enough time to find what they needed...not that she was even sure what that was...Alicia had Artie ready to go as soon as Andy's bus pulled away from the stop.

Combing through her purse to make sure she had her checkbook, Alicia slipped into the drivers seat of the van. "You all buckled?" she asked, heaving a small sigh of relief when she found the wallet, before glancing up.

It was then that all time stopped.

Locking eyes with Artie through the rear-view mirror, Alicia couldn't help but be transported back to_ that_ day. The differences were obvious, it was now October, not July. They were in a brand new van instead of Art's older sedan. Artie was smiling at her instead of unhappily staring out the window. He was sitting in his wheelchair instead of the back seat of the car...the only similarity was that it was just the two of them, in a vehicle, for the first time since the accident that changed their lives forever.

Her eyes instinctively fluttered shut as the memories became too real and sting behind them became too intense.

"We'll be fine Mom."

The soft reassurance from her little angel reverberated through Alicia's ears. _How could he have known? _Maybe he was feeling it too_._ Blowing past the strangled sob caught in her throat, she twisted to face him. The picture of confidence, strength and complete trust, Artie gave a small nod to which she could do nothing but acknowledge and accept.

After one more glance in the mirror at the encouraging grin her son was giving her, Alicia steadied her slightly shaky hand, and turned the key.

...

Twenty minutes to find it...and nearly three and a half hours to put it together.

"Dad look at what Mom bought me"

Art hadn't even made it through the threshold and already he was being summoned by his oldest son. "Wow, that's really nice," he exclaimed, walking over to survey the drawered cabinet unit sitting inconspicuously against the wall.

"It's to accessiblerize?..."

"It's to help make the kitchen more accessible to you," Alicia beamed at him, chuckling slightly as she made the correction.

"Right," Artie nodded dutifully.

"It looks like a custom piece of furniture," Art commented as his gaze drifted from his son up to his wife. "How did you get it to match the kitchen so well?"

Alicia smiled and shrugged, "We just went down the aisle and that's what we found."

"It's so cool too Dad," the boy declared opening up a drawer. "At first we were going to get the plastic one on wheels, but Mom said two sets of wheels probably wasn't a good idea." Continuing through his parents playful laughter, Artie pulled on the cabinet door. "See, this doesn't move with me." Art nodded but it went unnoticed, Artie was already onto his next thought. "This is for plates, bowls and cups. I've got my own forks and stuff in here. Napkins and paper towels go down there. Mom got me my own toaster to go on top, and she said when I'm a little older, I can even get my own microwave."

"That_ is_ pretty cool Ace." Art's grin widened.

"And tomorrow, we're gonna fix the pantry so all my favorites are where I can reach them. Mom says I can have a whole shelf just to myself," Artie added, almost as an afterthought, but with no less excitement.

Art wrapped his arm around Alicia's shoulder. "I was going to ask how it went, but I can see..."

"It was a good day," she cut in, smiling as she watched her son neatly stack a set of tumblers onto a lower shelf, with no other feelings coursing through her other than pride, "a _very_ good day."


	18. Chapter 18

_**An authors note...**__**many thanks to those of you who continue to support my stories. It really does mean the world to me. Most of the chapters from now on will have a bit of angst coupled with a positive resolution at the end, much like the last one did...though some will be totally angst free. Progress if you ask me! Much of the information in this chapter was taken directly from real life situations while the rest was fabricated and embellished to fit the SL.  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

She'd tossed and turned all night, and just when she was able to fall into a sound sleep, her alarm clock blared incessantly, alerting her that it was time to start a new day. Groggily, Alicia slipped from her soft warm bed and padded to her en-suite bathroom before doing anything else...no stage of pregnancy was exempt from water retention.

As she did every morning, after first exchanging good morning greetings and a kiss with Art, Alicia checked on the boys...first Andy since his bedroom was closest, then Artie. Finding her youngest tangled in his sport print comforter and snoring loudly always put a smile on her face. She was surprised, however, a minute later, when she found Artie not sleeping in his bed, but up and making it.

Or at least trying to.

"Hey Honey, what are you doing up already?" she inquired softly and continued on into his room.

Artie twisted his head in the direction of her voice and smiled. "It's my first day back at school and I wanted to get an early start," he answered casually, sounding far more mature than his eight years.

"That was a good idea Sweetie, but you could have slept a little bit longer, " she intoned gently as she held back the urge to help him with his struggle with the comforter. "I was going to get you up around seven..."

"Now you don't have to," he cut in beaming.

Alicia couldn't help but smile back at him in spite of how nervous it made her when he attempted a transfer without supervision, even though it was quite obvious from this, and the countless times she'd seen him do it, that he was perfectly capable. The thought of him falling, or getting sick or hurt in any way, though, was constantly playing on her mind. "Okay then, now that you're up, why don't we head over to the bathroom and empty your..."

"I already did that too."

"All by yourself?," Alicia replied, trying not to let her complete awe outweigh her concern. "And you remembered to wash your hands both before and after and to..."

"Just like we practiced," he assured her with a nod.

Alicia's smile widened briefly before faltering completely when she remembered this was another item, in a long list of things that Artie was required to be able to do for himself, before returning to school. It amazed her that he was expected to be so accommodating when the school wasn't doing very much to help him.

In their meeting with the principle as well as Artie's teacher, the school nurse, social worker and representative for the school board, the Abrams were informed of all of this.

From the nurse they learned, that while her office would be open to Artie anytime he needed, she would not be able to tend to all of his needs. Or any if you asked Alicia. He would have to be able to complete all of his bathroom needs on his own and without assistance, which also meant that if there were a malfunction or he had an accident, he'd have to take care of it himself, or sit in soiled clothes and wait for his mother to come and help him.

The same was true with his medication. While the school nurse had the authority to keep his prescriptions locked in a cabinet in her office, the only thing she was allowed to let him have was the inhaler for his asthma. Everything else, whether it be the anti-inflammatory or analgesic medications used to relieve the arthritic like pain in his back, or the muscle relaxants he needed to control the involuntary spasms in his legs he was prone to, would again, have to be administered by his mother...but they'd allow him to lay down in the office and rest until she arrived.

The Abrams were also expected to get Artie to and from school everyday, even though bus services were readily available. It appeared that the school board couldn't justify the purchase of a handicap accessible bus for only the one wheelchair bound student it currently had in the district. Artie.

Then they were told that he would be forced to sit out of any activity he wasn't fully able to participate in. Apparently this included both indoor and outdoor recesses after lunch as well as free play when time permitted. Although he was given written permission, by his doctor, to take part in a modified P.E. class or a similar form of exercise, those types of classes were currently only offered at the high school level. The superintendent of schools seemed to be more worried about a possible liability than compliance to the statewide mandate stating every child needed to participate in some sort of daily physical activity.

A deep pang of guilt hit Alicia, and she suddenly felt like she was sending her son off to fight a battle instead of the third grade. The only saving grace in this whole situation was that Artie's teacher had promised her she would do everything in her power to integrate him into the classroom as easily as possible.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

Her words spilled out fast and from out of nowhere, causing Artie to look up at his mother quizzically. "I have to get dressed and eat breakfast first," he answered innocently.

Another brief smile faltered as she took a seat on the edge of his crookedly made bed. "I mean really ready," she queried with a tender clarification, "I don't want to rush you into doing something you aren't ready for."

"I'm a little nervous, but I really want to go back" he confessed with an indifferent shrug that turned into sheepish head tilt and grin. "Plus, Wednesday's Halloween, and I don't wanna miss the party."

Alicia let a relieved chuckle escape...He just wanted to be a treated like a typical eight year old.

Now how could she deny him that?

...

**_ANx2...I'm not sure if this is what you were expecting, when reading __a chapter about Artie's first day back at school, but in keeping with the plot, I stayed just within the family. If anyone would like to read just Artie's POV of the day, in the actual school setting, please PM me or leave your request in a review and I will try to get that up in a tagged one shot. Thanks!  
_**


	19. Chapter 19

_**An authors note...**__**SO much love for you guys, all of those reviews made me insanely happy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

Aside from being completely exhausted from simply sitting in a classroom all day, Artie's first week of school seemed to have gone rather smoothly. He'd come out of the school with a smile on his face every day, talked endlessly about how nice his teacher was, how much he enjoyed his classes, worked meticulously on every homework page...

Smiling to herself as she climbed up the stairs to the second floor, Alicia's expression immediately faltered when she reached Artie's classroom. "Hey Honey, what are doing out here all by yourself?" she asked softly as to not interrupt any of the festivities going on in the surrounding classrooms...though from the sound of things, they wouldn't have heard her anyway.

"Oh hi Mom," he happily greeted and glanced up from the book he was reading. Alicia's couldn't stop a sliver of a smile from returning when she saw his face light up. "I'm almost finished," he added, gesturing to the book in his lap.

"But you just got that yesterday from the library," she stated, instead of repeating the question that was still weighing heavily on her mind.

Artie shrugged and lowered his head sheepishly. "It's really good...and pretty easy."

Allowing her lips to curl up even further, Alicia took a seat in the vacant chair next to him. "Where is everyone?"

"Around the corner having a candy corn relay against Miss Tomasini and Ms. Wilson's classes," he answered casually, "Mrs. Jenkins went to go check on them."

"And why aren't you with them?" she queried gently.

Artie shrugged again. "There isn't a lot of room in the hall and some of the moms were worried I'd get hurt..." his words trailed off, and he paused a moment before lowering his eyes and shrugging for the third time in as many minutes.

Alicia's chest twisted painfully for him, but she managed to get one more question out before her throat totally seized up. "How was the rest of the party?"

"Great," he exclaimed wholeheartedly, and with a smile. "We made these really cool flying bats with construction paper, string and a stick. Then we went on a scavenger hunt...well, I had to go while everyone else was eating their snack, and they went while I ate mine. And now they're playing the game..."

_And you're sitting out here by yourself_, Alicia thought angrily though none of it was ever aimed toward him. "Did you get to do _anything_ with your class today?"

"We made the craft together."

And for a moment, Alicia almost felt better...until she remembered his desk was located in the back of the room and off to the side, separated from everyone else because he required a larger one that could accommodate his wheelchair.

"Hello Mrs. Abrams."

Alicia looked up to find Artie's teacher walking toward her, and forced a smile. "Hello Mrs. Jenkins. I was downstairs helping out with my younger sons party and thought I'd come up to get Artie while they were cleaning up."

"Oh, of course," she returned with a warm smile and quick glance down at her watch, "it's almost about that time anyway...

"Mrs. J, we beat Miss T's class real bad."

"Yeah, they still had five kids left to go, and we were already done."

"Here's your ribbon Artie," one of the room moms called out over the celebratory cheers and chants going on around them.

Artie looked down at the first place ribbon being offered to him, amidst the chaos of his returning classmates, then back up again. "But I didn't play."

"That's okay Sweetie, you're still a part of the class," she replied, sounding more sympathetic than enthusiastic.

"Really? Because from the way he described today, it's hard to imagine he felt like one." Alicia didn't mean for it to come out like that, or even at all, but it did, and made the other woman gasp in surprise.

"Alicia," she called, just now noticing the familiar woman standing to her left, "We didn't mean for that to happen, we just weren't sure how to incorporate his special needs."

That term made Alicia bristle, but not nearly as much as the over site. "So you left him out?" she asked in challenged, though didn't wait for an answer. "You could have called Lynne, or simply just asked him."

Mrs. Davis, or Morgan's mom, as everyone knew her, nodded apologetically.

"The truth is, Artie doesn't know what he can and can't do until he tries," Alicia continued, "and he's never going to find that out unless he's given the chance."

Lynne smiled at Alicia and gave another small nod, this one conveying an understanding between friends and as mothers.

"I know our committee has planned the other parties," Mrs. Jenkins interjected as she herded the last of her students back into the classroom, "but I'm sure we can figure out a way to modify the activities so that all of the kids can play together..."

"It hardly seems fair to change our plans to accommodate one student."

The rude comment was made by one of the other room mothers, a woman Alicia neither knew, nor liked very much at the moment. "That's easy to say when it's not your child being excluded," she retorted very pointedly.

Sensing the obvious tension building in the hallway, Mrs. Jenkins turned to the only student left to witness the exchange. "Artie, why don't we do inside and pack up your things?"

With a dutiful nod, the boy looked up at his teacher and nodded, but not before sending an appreciative smile over his shoulder to the one person who would always prove to be his biggest ally...his mother.

...

That evening, Artie found himself in the same position he was in for the most of the day...left out.

"Hurry, hurry...before all the candy's gone," little Andy Abrams eagerly implored as he ran to the sidewalk.

But one look down the block at the steps leading up to every front door, Artie couldn't help but ask, "How am I supposed to do this?"

Though his pleading tone nearly broke her heart, Alicia remained strong and flashed her son an encouraging smile. "Well, there's only one way for Harry Potter to truly go trick-or-treating," she explained seriously, but almost let a chuckle escape when Artie wrinkled his brow in confusion.

Before he could even process what his mother was saying, Artie felt himself being lifted up into the air. "Dad?"

"You need to fly?" Art asked rhetorically, "I'll be your broomstick for the night."

An impossibly wide grin began to spread across his face, even as he glanced back anxiously at his mother. "I'll be right behind you," she assured him, one hand grasping the handle of his chair, the other poised over the shutter on her camera.

"I need to fly too Dad," Andy insisted as he tugged on the leg of his fathers pants, then beamed up at him. "I'm Buzz Lightyear."

That's how that spent the majority of that Halloween night, the boys held tight in their fathers arms, Alicia following closely, pushing Artie's chair and saving memories of yet another moment they were grateful to have.


	20. Chapter 20

_**An authors note...**__**You guys probably already know how insanely awesome you are, but I'll say it again...You totally rock! Sorry(Megan) for the lack of Artie in this chapter, but I needed a little Art/Alicia angst in here. Next one should be relatively happy, or at least a little less angsty than this one;) Enjoy!  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

Alicia fiddled nervously with her purse strap as she sat, waiting for their turn. Parent-teacher conferences were never a source of stress for her, but after discussing some of the concerns Andy's Kindergarten teacher was having with his behavior and the difficulty he was having learning how to read...she really didn't think she could handle anymore bad news.

The teacher assured the concerned parents that while Andy was generally a well behaved child and thriving socially, he was having some problems with bouts of aggression and trouble focusing this past month or so...and the issues he was having with reading, were not uncommon at his age, or with children who's family were dealing with a life altering tragedy. The teacher had chalked it up to the latter, but deep down, Alicia wasn't so sure.

"Mr. and Mrs. Abrams," Mrs. Jenkins greeted from the doorway, once she had properly dismissed the set of parents she'd just met with, "please come in."

Art followed Alicia into the room. They were led to a table near the front where they sat down again and waited for the meeting to start. Mrs. Jenkins wasted no time.

"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that your son is very bright boy," she started out, beaming at the pair proudly. "His work is impeccable, both what he had done while out on medical leave, and what he's turned in since his return." Alicia let out the anxious breath she was holding and flashed a smile at Art.

"He's maintaining an almost perfect score in math and is reading _and_ comprehending at a fifth or sixth grade level," Mrs. Jenkins continued while simultaneously flipping through a stack of papers to her left. "I noticed in his previous grades, his teachers did have him in the advanced reading program...I'd like to do the same with him this year as well as have him in the advanced math group...just as long as you think it won't be too overwhelming for him."

Alicia's heart swelled and her smile grew from ear to ear. "Oh no, I'm sure he'd love that," she assured the teacher with an enthusiastic shake of the head.

"He's always been a book worm," Art threw in playfully.

Mrs. Jenkins grinned. "Wonderful. I'll talk to him tomorrow and we can probably start working on that as early as Monday," she announced and began jotting some notes down on her checklist. Unfortunately, the smile she was wearing didn't last long, especially when she skimmed down to the end. She cleared her throat, "Like I've said, academically he's doing exceptionally well...it's the social interaction I'm a little concerned with."

And suddenly Alicia's stomach dropped to her knees. "I know you've all been through a great deal these past few months," Mrs. Jenkins went on as professionally as possible, but with a completely sincere tone, "and it's always difficult for a student to return to school after a lengthy recovery from an injury or illness, especially after the class has already been established..."

"Artie can get a little shy at times," Alicia cut in, in mild defense of her son.

"Oh no, it's not Artie at all," the teacher was quick to correct. "In fact, Artie is one of the most outgoing students in the class. He's forever the first one to raise his hand. He has a wonderful imagination and great ideas. Always kind, courteous and helpful to others..." Her words trailed off and she paused momentarily. "It's the other students that I'm having some issues with."

Mrs. Jenkins briefly glanced up at the parents sitting across from her, pain replacing the happy expressions they were wearing just minutes ago. "I did my best trying to prepare them for Artie's return...and the girls for the most part have been very receptive..." She lowered her gaze slightly, "but the boys seem to be having a bit more trouble adjusting. They're not always as patient and inclusive with Artie as the girls are."

"Always a ladies man," Art quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Mrs. Jenkins cracked a smile, but Alicia didn't find it all that amusing. "Now I don't know how it is with the neighborhood kids..."

"We haven't really seen much of them either, lately," Art cut in, confirming both the teachers suspicions and one of Alicia's biggest fears.

"But there was boy...," Alicia interjected, sounding almost desperate, "I think Artie said his name was Jared..."

A flash of recognition sparked in Mrs. Jenkins eyes and she nodded. "Yes, he's a fifth grader. His class has gym when ours has lunch. He broke his foot a few weeks ago and had to sit out. They sat together while our class was at recess...he helped Artie with some puzzles a few times."

Mrs. Jenkins saw the hopeful expression on Alicia's face immediately falter. "Have you ever thought of getting Artie involved in some after school activities? The beginners chess club meets on Tuesdays and the art club meets Thursdays," she suggested.

"He has therapy both those days," Alicia replied

"But we might be able to reschedule one of those days, if it's something he really wants to do," Art offered, before he remembered how difficult it was to get the time slots they needed, with the therapist they wanted, for Artie's three day a week physio sessions, to begin with.

"He already takes a catechism class once a week at our parish and he's recently joined our churches childrens choir," Alicia supplied quickly.

"There are also some other great out of school activities such as reading groups, boy scouts..."

"He had to quit scouts." The words, and all the bitterness that went with them, left Alicia's mouth before she could stop them. "They weren't able to accommodate his wheelchair."

"We were given some information on programs exclusively for boys with disabilities, but we haven't been able to find one in the area," Art added regretfully, but smiled at the young woman.

Mrs. Jenkins let out a small sigh of frustration...wishing there was something more she could do. But instead of helping to find solutions for her student, and his parents, she needed to prepare for her next conference.

...

Art, and especially Alicia left feeling worse than they did before the conferences. The drive home was made in complete silence, save for Art's occasional comment on the driving habits of those around him.

"How'd I do?" Artie asked as soon as his parents walked in the door.

"You did just fine Sweetie," Alicia answered first, flashing him the most genuine smile. "In fact, Mrs. Jenkins said you were the best student in her class."

His eyes widened excitedly. "And she thinks you might be ready for some more challenging work," Art added, grinning.

"Advanced math and reading?" he asked hopefully and watched as both parents nodded. "Yes!"

"She also thought it was a good idea to get involved in some after school activities," Art continued, even after Alicia's heedful glance. "I was thinking on the way home that maybe you could give that wheelchair basketball team a try."

"But I'm not good at basketball," Artie countered timidly, as he glanced down at his lap.

"Maybe not yet," Art returned encouragingly, "but you could be if you tried...and all the other kids will be in wheelchairs too..."

"Art?" Alicia cut in chidingly.

"What? She said group activities," he returned pointedly.

Alicia couldn't hide her disappointment at his suggestion, for the problem didn't lie with children who were like him...it was with those who weren't.


	21. Chapter 21

_**An authors note...**__**I know the beginning may seem a little familiar with reoccurring themes first mentioned a few chapters back. I did this intentionally to show how while Art and more specifically Alicia are slowing accepting what happened, dealing with it will always be a struggle. Plus I always love showing the boundless love the Abrams have for Artie(and all of their children).  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

Bittersweet was the best word to describe the first Thanksgiving after the accident. While Art and Alicia were both beyond grateful that she and their son survived that horrific crash, and without either of them sustaining even more serious injuries than they had...there lives were and forever would be irrevocably changed in ways they could have never imagined.

There were so many things they could have, should have, been angry about. The senselessness of drunk driving, the pain, both physical and emotional their son was forced to endure, his reality, being so young and innocent yet having to live the rest of his life with a disability and everything that went with it.

But they knew Artie wouldn't want them to dwell on that, or feel guilty. For just having him with them...in any way, shape or form...far outweighed the alternative.

Pulling up to her parent's house, Alicia was grateful for her offer to invite Art's family to their annual Thanksgiving day dinner. This way, Artie would be able to celebrate with all of his family members just like every year, without having to make the almost two hour trip to Columbus.

She was a bit surprised to see that her in-laws had already arrived, but even more so to see her mother's sister, her Aunt Bonnie had made the trip all the way from Chicago to be there with them as well. Carrying Artie's chair into the house, Alicia couldn't help but notice the sympathetic expression her aunt was wearing, the tears that began pooling as she watched Art lower the boy into the seat, the embrace that was so strong it nearly cut off Alicia's oxygen supply.

"They've gotten so big Leesha," Bonnie gasped, trying discretely to dry her eyes as they broke apart.

"I'm gonna be six in eight days," Andy announced proudly while shrugging out of his coat.

"That's what I hear," Bonnie returned playfully as she reached over to grab a stack of packages sitting on the side table in the hall. "So I came prepared and brought you something," she added, handing him the top, rectangular gift. "And Artie, this one is for you."

"But it's not my birthday," the little boy replied determinately.

A soft buzz of laughter erupted at the innocent response. "I know that," Bonnie returned, still holding the present out to him, "But Grandma told me how brave you were while you were in the hospital and I wanted to give you a little something since we weren't able to come visit you."

Artie glanced from his great aunt, to his grandmother, then over to his mother. He blushed slightly as he grinned and humbly accepted the package. "Thanks."

"Can I open mine now?" Andy anxiously asked his mother.

"You both can," Alicia stated, smiling warmly at both of her sons before following the procession to the back of the house to greet those who hadn't initially converged on them in the foyer.

"Mom, look what I got," Andy called out, running up to her mere seconds after he'd torn open the packaging."A real football."

"Just what you wanted," she replied playfully while trying to sound surprised.

"I know," he squealed with delight. "Mark said he'll teach my how to play...and Dad said I might be big enough to play in the game this year, cause Uncle Tom says Ian is..."

As Alicia's eyes met Art's, the flicker of recollection hit. Last Thanksgiving was Artie's first, and only, time participating in the annual flag football game the men and boys of the family played while the women were fixing dinner. He was never really into sports, and he'd only played for two passes, but the memory of their little boy running around the back yard, pink cheeked and grinning...

Alicia's chest tightened painfully as Art looked away guiltily.

"I'm gonna go get my coat." Andy was gone and back in a flash, leaving little time for their emotions to catch up with his parents...especially when a second later, the youngster was tugging on his fathers sleeve, "C'mon Dad."

The slightly wistful gaze of Artie's that followed after his brother and father, wasn't lost on Alicia. But before she could trust herself to say anything, Aunt Bonnie walked into the room, a warm smile on her face. "Are those okay Artie?" she asked, motioning to the set of books sitting on his lap.

"Oh yeah, they're great," he beamed, still slightly preoccupied, but without reservation.

"Your Grandma told me exactly what to get..."

"There's a whole series. I have the first two," he cut in to explain, "and I really, really like them." As happy as his gift made him, it was a natural reflex to follow the sound of excited chatter...Artie glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the last of the group file out to the backyard. Even Lucas, who wasn't turning five until January was going...

"Hey Artie, I'd like to hear about those books," a sweet voice called out from the corner, after witnessing the second longing look...though she would have offered no matter what. "Or we could do something else together."

Snapping his head back around, Artie's eyes went wide with surprise as he stared at his oldest cousin. "You wanna _play_...with me?"

"Of course I do silly," the girl returned incredulously after first letting out a small giggle. "I always want to play with my favorite cousin."

A huge smile began to spread across his face, and if at all possible, Artie's eyes grew even larger. "We can look at these, but I know my Gramma has a lot of games and stuff too we can play with too..." There was a pause for only a quick intake of breath as his hands flew to the rims of his chair and he turned himself around, "but I don't know if they're in the closet down here or upstairs..." He started to move, then glanced back over his shoulder, "I'll go ask her...I think she's still in the family room..."

"I don't think I've ever seen him so excited," the words tumbled out over another pulsing giggle.

Alicia regarded her niece for a moment. Thirteen year old Jessalyn was Art's sister Jayne's oldest child. A compassionate, wise beyond her years, fun loving girl who'd always had a soft spot for Artie. "I think you may have just made his month Jess."

The teen's expression turned from casual to questioning, "What do you mean?"

"It's just...," Alicia started out hesitantly, "well...he really hasn't received a lot of invitations like that lately...I mean...to play..." The words died in her throat, emotion nearly choking her. The reality that he hadn't had any offers at all, in school or out, was painful at best...but even more so was the possibility that he was starting to accept that, maybe even expect it.

Alicia tried to maintain her composure. She'd spend much of the past four months crying on the shoulders of her family members, and she really didn't want to break down in front of them again. Not today anyway. Managing a watery smile that was completely genuine, Alicia softly muttered, "Thank you Jess."

"Aunt Leesha?" the girl nearly sobbed out, her own eyes misting quickly.

"I know it's a lot...," Kathleen called out, rounding the corner with Artie.

"But I couldn't decided," he added sheepishly, but no less excited as he glanced up at his cousin. "And I didn't know what you wanted to play..."

"We can play them all Artie," she cut in certainly, "...whatever you want to do."

"Really?" he gasped out in surprise, as if he couldn't believe his luck."

"Really," Jess assured him, beaming back.

...

**_ANx2...I'm going to stop here, because if I go any farther, this snippet will no longer be considered a snippet, and I REALLY wanted to get this story updated. I did have more planned for this one, featuring more of the family. It would be about the same length...a bit of angst, mixed with a bunch of fluff, and topped with some pretty cute(IMO)moments between Alicia and Artie. I would love to continue it in the next chapter, but only if it's something you think you might like reading about(I already know how you feel Megan:), otherwise I'll just continue with my previous schedule.  
_**


	22. Chapter 22

_**An authors note...**__**What a response...thank you all so much for your unwavering support. I appreciate the chance to continue the previous chapter, though I apologize for it taking so long to get posted. I hope it was worth the wait.  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

A sense of normalcy set in as the day went on. The ladies in the kitchen, preparing dinner; the older men, in the living room watching various college football games; some of the younger boys, with their bigger counterparts, still outside playing their own version of the game; the house filled with cheerful noise and delicious smells.

Continuing with their various Thanksgiving traditions, despite the trials and tribulations of the year, seemed to be exactly what everyone needed.

Alicia was playfully informed by her mother and sisters, that because of her delicate condition, she would be forced to take it easy and do nothing more than sit at the table and peel potatoes or arrange dinner rolls on the baking sheet. She had long finished with the former and was now working on the latter.

"...which is a good thing she wasn't, because Bry and I could not, for the life of us, agree on a boys name..."

Laughter erupted at the table as Colleen regaled the women in the room, even those who had already heard them, with stories of her pregnancy with three month old baby Libby.

"I bet I know what you and Art are hoping for this time around, Alicia," Aunt Bonnie teased playfully from her spot across the table.

Alicia gave a small, gentle smile. The common reply of "a healthy, happy baby" crossed her mind, because honestly no parent _wanted_ their child to be sick. But if she had learned anything from the past four months, it was that she would love this baby with all of her heart, no matter what. "Honestly?" she returned, her smile intensifying immeasurably, "...it really doesn't matter."

"When do you find out?" was Bonnie's next question, but it was quickly amended, "Or do you plan on being surprised?"

"I think just finding out we were pregnant again was surprise enough," she answered, deadpan, but smiled. "We go in about two an a half weeks...the 12th. And yes, we plan on finding out...I don't think the boys could last another four or so months without knowing."

"Artie wants a sister and Andy wants a brother," Kathleen noted playfully, stating only what her daughter and grandsons had already told her.

"I'm with Artie on this one," Colleen quipped, grinning pointedly at her sisters. "I'd like to see pink too...that way each of us girls will have a little one of our own."

"And they would all be pretty close in age," Bridget added with a hopeful grin.

"It would also even out the gender count a little more...," Kathleen supplied, shooting a conspiratorial smirk at Ruth Abrams, "...on both sides."

Alicia fought the urge to roll her eyes at her less than subtle family members, but she didn't hide her amusement in the form of a hearty chuckle. Uninhibited laughter was still a foreign response to her, but one that felt so unbelievably good.

"Yes that would be nice," Ruth intoned agreeably. "It's been thirteen years since we've had a baby girl on our side of the family," she added, smiling down at a slumbering Libby, contently cradled in her arms.

Another round of lighthearted laughter erupted throughout the room. Alicia joined in too, but a newly familiar clattering diverted her attention to her right. "Hey Sweetie," she greeted with a huge grin, "You and Jess all through playing?"

Artie shook his head as he coasted to a stop next to her. "Just taking a break."

Alicia smiled. "Are you hungry? Grandma has cheese and crackers, chips, dip, veggies..."

"No thanks."

"Thirsty?" she queried, mentally calculating his intake so far for the day, in her head.

He gave a little shake, then lifted his eyes in askance. "Can I sit on your lap?"

The quiet, innocent request made Alicia completely melt with adoration, then quickly pause out of concern. "Of course Honey," she assured first before asking, "Are you feeling okay?"

Artie nodded. "Just a little tired," he answered casually. A quick glance at the clock and Alicia's suspicions were confirmed. Fatigue was nothing new, and Artie was generally tired around this time...in fact, he was still dozing off in the van on the way home from school most days.

But there was something else emanating from those big blue expressive eyes that tipped Alicia off. "Your back hurt?" The words were barely a whisper, and came out sounding more like the observation that they were, rather than a question.

Artie lowered his gaze and gave a slightly dismissive shrug."A little I guess."

Alicia's expression softened...for Artie to even acknowledge he was in pain, meant that it hurt more than just a little. "Do you want to maybe lay down for a bit?"

"Uh uh," he murmured back, inching his chair closer.

Smiling affectionately at her son, Alicia began prepping for the transfer by lining him up at the proper angle, applying his brakes and removing the armrest of his chair.

"Do you two need any help?" Kathleen offered, recognizing the actions she had seen only a few times previously.

"No thanks Gramma...we got this...," Artie answered for the both of them as he lifted his feet from the footrest, scooted forward in his seat and looped his arms around his mothers neck.

Alicia snaked one arm around his waist and slid the other under his knees. On the silent count of three, and with a practiced ease, she easily slid Artie sideways onto her thighs. The small whimper of pain that accompanied the movement, made her chest clench tightly. She helped him get situated before gently wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips into his hair. "Do you need something for the pain?" she cooed comfortingly.

Artie shook his head again and pressed himself further against his mother, his cheek finally coming to rest on her shoulder. Alicia was well aware that the conversation among the group had fallen silent and all eyes were currently trained on them, but her attention never wavered from Artie. "Usual spot?" she asked next, and this time felt, more than saw, the small nod of affirmation. Bringing her hand up to rest on his back, Alicia easily found the tight knot of muscles and gently began to knead them.

Coming to realize what her daughter had picked up on less than a minute ago, Kathleen quickly started up a new conversation. "Bonnie, you'll never guess who called me the other day..."

"Is he okay Auntie Leesha?"

The inquiry was whisper soft and full of concern. Alicia tilted her head back to find her niece standing directly behind her. She hadn't even noticed her walk in. "He's fine Jess," she assured the obviously worried girl with a tender smile, "just a little tired and sore."

"I could tell he kept trying to get comfortable, but couldn't," the teen stated, her expression turning slightly sympathetic as she slipped into the seat between her mother and aunt. "That's when I said we should probably take a break."

Alicia's smile broadened. "Thank you Sweetie."

"He's out like a light already," Jayne commented playfully, and gently reached out to slip the glasses off of her sleeping nephews face.

"Is he often in a lot of pain Alicia?" a somber Aunt Bonnie asked, joining the conversation.

"Not too much," she answered casually. It was slowly becoming easier for Alicia...and Art, to talk openly about these types things with others, without becoming saddened. But while they appreciated the concern, neither of them wanted Artie's disability or subsequent medical issues to be the only thing people focused on or discussed. Her hand unconsciously continued to trail slowly up and down his back. "He's still healing and some days are worse than others, but he does a really great job managing it. He had back to back therapy sessions this week...Tuesday and yesterday, because he's missing today... and I think that maybe it just caught up with him."

That brought on another lull in conversation and a few sad looks, but thankfully not for long.

"Andy...door," Alicia called out to her absentminded son, as he hurriedly ran passed them.

He stopped in his tracks, eyes wide and panting..."I need to hurry, it's my turn to play," he whined, looking between the carelessly thrown open patio door and his mother, "and I really gotta pee."

"Shh," Alicia warned through the small chuckle she couldn't hold back, "your brother and cousin are sleeping."

"I got it," Colleen's husband Bryan offered as he appeared through the entrance right behind his nephew.

"Thanks Uncle Bry," Andy blew out with a sigh of relief.

"No running in the house Andrew," Alicia reminded, calling out softly as to not disturb Artie or Libby, but Andy had already taken off.

Bryan smiled. He popped open a can of soda and and leisurely took a stance against the wall behind his wife and daughter. "Isn't someone almost too big to be doing that," he quipped playfully, motioning pointedly across the table.

Alicia grinned at her brother-in-law's teasing banter. "I'll take whatever I can get, for as long as I can," she returned, just as mirthfully. "You just wait and see. There aren't very many eight year old's who still _want_ to sit on their mothers lap..."

"I was talking about you Leesha," he interjected laughingly.

Alicia fought the urge to roll her eyes and laughed along with the group before gently pulling Artie closer against her slightly burgeoning belly.

Suddenly, Andy raced around the corner, nearly taking his uncle out on his way to the door. "Ready Champ?" Bryan asked, finishing the rest of his drink in one gulp and following the boy to the door.

"Yep," Andy answered, anxious to get back outside.

"Did you remember to wash your hands?" Alicia inquired pointedly.

"Yeeeessssssss," Andy groaned, bouncing up and down impatiently.

Bryan let out a small chuckle and clapped his nephew on the back, "Good, now lets go back out there and kick some butt..."

Colleen gave a sigh of mock indignation, "And yet another reason I'm glad we didn't have a boy..."

Alicia forced a smile, her amusement tapering as she shifted Artie again.

"I cannot be held responsible for him corrupting any of your children..."

"Alicia, his foot...," Jayne intoned, her surprise trailing off into concern.

"I know," she sighed in reply, eyes already studying the involuntary tremor. "It triggered when I moved him to my lap...and I was hoping it would subside on it's own, but it just seems to be getting worse..."

"Honey, what can I do?" Kathleen cut in, ignoring for a moment the worried looks of bewilderment on the faces of her guests who had not yet been witness to this unfortunate side effect Artie was prone to.

"Can you get me a glass of cold water?" she asked in return, pulling Artie's chair toward her so she could reach the backpack hanging off the handles, "...and Art."

Jess excused herself from the table and rushed to call for her uncle. She returned to find her aunt whispering into her cousins ear while simultaneously rifling through a small tote filled with prescription bottles. "Are those all for him?"

"Mhmmm," Alicia nodded, smiling encouragingly at the slightly distressed girl. "He doesn't need all of them all of the time," she explained gently, "and most days he doesn't need to take anything but his allergy medicine..." Her words drifted off when Artie's head lolled back and he began to fight to lift his heavy eyelids.

"Sweetie," Alicia cooed, then whispered in his ear again. This time her words brought him to a higher state of wakefulness. "Here," she offered, placing a tablet in his hand.

"A whole one?" Artie grumbled in askance. Alicia nodded. "But they make me really sleepy and I don't wanna miss the turkey," he sighed dejectedly, remembering all too clearly how his usual dose of half a tablet made him feel.

"We won't let you miss any of that Honey," Alicia assured him, sealing her promise with a kiss to his temple. "But this has been going on for a while now, and your back is really tight and probably very sore," she countered with facts he was already well aware of.

Reluctantly, Artie nodded and swallowed the pill, cringing slightly as the chalky tablet went down. Alicia felt a strong hand on her shoulder and glanced up to find Art standing behind her. "He needs to lay down for a while..."

"You can put him in our bed..."

"The couch is fine Mom," Alicia interjected softly.

Kathleen nodded. "There some blankets in the hall closet."

Art gave his mother-in-law a smile of appreciation before reaching out for his son, "C'mon Ace, let's go get you stretched out."

Being lifted from his mothers embrace with the current situation being as it was, Artie suddenly felt exposed and very self-conscious. It didn't help that the entire room, family or not, was staring at him. "Aren't you coming Mom?" he called out over his fathers shoulder.

Alicia looked up from the medication she was repacking and smiled, "I'm right behind you Sweetie."

...

Gathered together at the tables, arranged in such a way that each person would be able to hold the hand of their neighbor so that they formed a chain, while they recalled what they were most thankful for this past year. For most, the answers all had a similar theme. The family had been truly blessed, in so many ways...a new life had been brought into the world, one was on it's way, and nothing short of divine intervention had spared the lives of two so deeply loved by everyone.

"I'm thankful for pizza...and birthday presents," Andy announced definitively. His almost six year old mind currently only had one track.

Art tugged at his younger sons hand playfully, before clearing his throat. "I'm thankful for health, happiness, and family," he stated casually, while still sending a meaningful glance in Alicia's direction.

She smiled back, then looked down at Artie. He was obviously thinking hard about what he was going to say, and she worried that maybe he was having a hard time trying to come up with something to be thankful for, or maybe his head was still hazy from the side effects of his medication. But one thing was for sure, this hadn't exactly been the best year for him...

"I'm thankful for our new baby," he finally said, his smile widening reflexively. "And baby Libby too," he added sweetly as an afterthought. There was another hesitation as his eyes curiously scanned the room, then dropped timidly to his lap. "And for my mom's cooking...because hospital food is really disgusting."

Laughter and playful banter brought Alicia to her turn and back to an hour ago, sitting in the living room with her son, a Spongebob episode playing on the television, trying to massage the offending spams from his calf, her niece sitting protectively on the floor next to him...

"I'm thankful for...," she started out, then paused. Snapping back to the present, Artie's had warm in hers, another tiny life fluttering actively in her belly, Alicia shook all thoughts of the past from her mind, and smiled. "...all of the moments to come."

...

**_ANx2...I am so sorry this took so long to update...my super busy schedule, problems with FF earlier_ _week and the numerous edits that made this chapter so ridiculously long, made it next to impossible to get done. But I did, and I dedicate this chapter to Megan who waited so (im)patiently for me to post. Hope this makes you feel a little better:{_**


	23. Chapter 23

_**An authors note...**__**YES! Finally getting around to updating SOMETHING. So sorry it took so long. Such an amazing response to the last chapter, you guys truly make me so beyond happy, there are almost no words to express that. I'm interested to see if you will enjoy the fluff of this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the angst I've been putting you through;) Lots more to come, but for now, enjoy and thank you from the bottom of my GLEEful heart!  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

Alicia Abrams had a smile on her face the entire day. And pulling the van into the lone handicapped parking spot of Heritage Elementary just after 3pm, that smile only brightened as she remembered the short conversation that started off her day...

_"Aww Mom, do I have to?"_

_"Yes Artie, of course you have to go."_

_"But...," he uncharacteristically protested._

_"Honey, you never want to miss school," she sighed, alarmed, "is something wrong?"_

_A shake of the head followed by a slight shrug. "I just don't wanna miss anything," he replied sheepishly, making Alicia's expression soften into a warm smile._

_"You won't Sweetheart, I promise," she assured him cupping his cheek in her right hand. "At least not anything important," she added pointedly. "That's why I scheduled my doctor's appointment for this morning and the ultrasound for four thirty...so you, Dad, and Andy can all be there to see this little one for the first time."_

_Artie's face brightened with anticipation as his eyes landed on where his mothers hand had come to rest. He was going to finally find out if another baby brother or new baby sister was living inside that belly...and he couldn't be more excited. "Okay," he finally conceded, failing to hide the smirk playing at his lips, "I'll go."_

Grinning all the way to the door, surprise didn't hit Alicia until she walked into the front office. "Set to go already?" she asked_, _eying Artie skeptically. She'd arrived earlier than usual in hopes of surprising the boys by picking them up together rather than loading Artie into the van while she waited the extra five minutes for the rest of the school to be dismissed...but here he was, packed and ready to go, nearly twenty minutes before he was normally scheduled.

"Arthur informed Mrs. Jenkins first thing this morning and myself at lunch time that he would be needing to leave early today," the school secretary, Mrs. Carter, stated, smiling from behind her desk. "Doctor's appointment, correct?"

"Yes," Alicia replied with a playful grin of her own, "...but this one is for me, not him."

Artie beamed excitedly. "We're gonna find out what the baby is today."

"How fun," Mrs. Carter returned brightly. "You make sure to let me know tomorrow if you're having a little brother or sister," she added, smiling pointedly at Artie. The little boy nodded eagerly. Without further hesitation, the kind secretary turned to an equally jubilant Alicia. "You'll be needing Andrew then as well."

Before she could even answer, Mrs. Carter was on the intercom to Andy's classroom, calling for his teacher to dismiss him for the day. And before Alicia could even finish signing him out, he was suddenly standing right in front of her. "Why'd you get me out so early?" Andy finally asked as they were leaving the building.

"We're going to find out if the baby is a girl or boy...remember?"

"Aww, that's today," Andy groaned, obviously disappointed. "I was playing cars with Tyler."

Alicia did her best to hide her frown as she reminded him gently, "Yes Andrew, that's today." Of course she understood that the addition of a new baby was a huge adjustment for any family and would almost certainly pose some added difficulties for a child who has held the title of 'baby' for over six years...that coupled with everything the family had been through the past year, was making it that much harder for Andy. Still, something in Alicia wished he'd start showing an emotion other than negativity, whenever the baby was mentioned.

That would have to wait though. Right now, the only thing Alicia wanted, was to spend some special time with her sons, and satisfy her craving for... "You boys want to go get some ice cream?"

"Yesss!," Andy exclaimed, racing past so he could be the first one to the van.

They hardly ever got treats like this, especially ones this close to dinner time and that could end up ruining their appetites. Surprised by the unusual suggestion, Artie tugged his chair to a stop and looked up expectantly at his mother. "I thought we were going out to eat after the doctors to celebrate."

"We are," Alicia answered, smiling back at him as they waited for the ramp to lower to the ground. "But we have some extra time before we need to be there..."

"Can we still get dessert after dinner, if we get ice cream now?" Artie cut in all sheepish and innocent, but his eyes were wide and hopeful.

Alicia chuckled. Her boy had a wicked sweet tooth...very much like his mother. She ruffled his hair before helping him into the van, then grinned. "Absolutely."

...

Alicia was sure the sugar from their sweet after school snack was to blame for her boys inability to be still. Andy was currently sitting in the waiting room chair next to her, playing his brothers Game boy and swinging his legs so high, his bottom was practically bouncing of the seat with every undulation.

Artie had originally been parked right next to her, but it didn't take long for his fidgety hands to lower the book he was reading to his lap, and wander to his sides. Slipping past the push rims, small, strong fingers entwined in the spokes of the wheels, twirling with a mesmerizing grace, casually rocking the chair back and forth in a motion that resembled the seated equivalent of pacing. With almost five months under their belts, this was an action Alicia had been witness to, quite a few times before...only it wasn't usually accompanied by a beaming grin.

"You nervous?" she leaned slightly and whispered.

Artie turned to face his mother, grin widening from ear to ear. "Just excited," he countered after an exuberant shake of his head. "Can we go in now?"

Alicia stifled a soft giggle. "Not yet Sweetie," she returned with a playfully sympathetic pat to his shoulder, "We haven't even been called yet and Dad's not..."

"Alicia Abrams."

"I'm here."

The voices called out in unison, one from the front of the room and the other from behind. Alicia faced forward, while Artie whipped his head around and smiled up at the owner of that familiar voice, "Hey Dad."

"Just in time," Alicia intoned with a relieved sigh and a grin almost a big as their eldest sons.

Watching as his wife rose to her feet, Art noticed the youthful glow and sparkle in her eye that he hadn't seen since the accident. "You ready?" he asked, linking his fingers with hers.

She gave a soft squeeze and nodded, smiling through her slight apprehension and misting eyes.

...

Alicia was grateful the ultrasound technician was quick to start. She was afraid Artie might break his fingers from the way he was wringing them in his lap, if he had to wait any longer.

The first part of the test was silent, save for the clicking of the computer keyboard, rolling of the mouse, and printing off of small black and white pictures. Out of the corner of her eye, Alicia could see Artie leaning to his left, trying to see around the shoulder of the seated technician. Not that he'd be able to make any sense out of those grainy images.

"Okay, you guys might want to get a little closer for this part," she finally said when finished with the diagnostic part of the test.

Artie didn't need to be asked twice and was by her side in record time, while Andy was a bit more reluctant to move from his comfy corner. Only after a pointed glare from Art, did the little boy begrudgingly saunter over next to his brother.

"We'll start here with the side profile. There's the head, and outline of the eyes, nose and mouth..."

Artie let out a soft giggle, while Andy asked impatiently, "What it is?"

"We'll get to that soon," the technician replied with a polite dismissiveness. "Now here's the frontal view of the face..."

"Eww, it looks like an alien..." the youngster couldn't help but point out. Artie didn't think so, but he still had to bite back a chuckle that was threatening to escape from his lips.

"I suppose this isn't exactly the most flattering view," the technician concurred, moving on. "Here's the heart..."

"Wow," Artie gasped in awe, "it's so fast."

Art and Alicia shared a glance, reveling in the wonder of seeing their baby through it's big brothers eyes.

"Nice strong, healthy beat," she explained, smiling at the precocious little boy before continuing on to something new. "Here we can see the spine..."

"Did you know that humans have 33 vertebrae?" Artie cut in casually.

Smiling again the technician nodded. "Did you know that babies have about 300 bones when they're born, but adults only have 206."

"Where do they go?" Andy asked curiously.

"Well, they don't go anywhere," she answered simply, "as we grow some of our baby bones fuse into..."

"I had to have seven bones in my back fused after my accident," Artie gave the information freely.

Without reservation or a hint of sympathy the technician carried on a short conversation with the boy about the skeletal system as she pointed out those images on the screen. She made a short comment on what and impressive story he had, but never once brought up his condition in any way.

"Is everyone in agreement on finding out the sex of the baby?"

"I want a brother," Andy blurted, even if he didn't fully understand what the woman had just said.

"Okay, that's one for boy. Dad?"

Art squinted one eye and bit his lower lip. "Already having two, I want to say boy, but I'm thinking girl right now."

"Mom?"

"This time is completely different then the last two," she answered, albeit slightly skeptically. "I say girl."

"I want a girl too," Artie chimed in, very eagerly.

The technician swiped over the are a few more time just to be sure, and smiled. "It looks like majority rules," she announced, to the gasps of elated parents.

"A girl," Alicia murmured to Art and finally let the tears she was holding back, spill over the lids of her eyes.

"Aww...I want a brother," Andy groaned loudly, his disappointment evident as his hands dropped to his sides and he stomped back over to the corner. It didn't take long before he was curled up into a ball, and crying into the tops of his knees.

The technician flashed Art and Alicia an apologetic grimace, to which they quickly brushed off dismissively. "Would you like some copies?" she asked, almost as an afterthought and handed them the printed scans. "Would you like a picture of your little sister?"

Artie was jolted out of his reverie by the unexpected request, his eyes still wide with disbelief. He somehow managed to accept the small three by five piece of paper and his face lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree as he studied the image of..."My little sister."


	24. Chapter 24

_**An authors note...**__**Two updates in less than a week...must be a record for me. That also means that for those of you who are waiting(very patiently, I might add) for an update to Beauty and the Geek...your wait is almost over. Love you all for your unwavering support, thank you so much. Enjoy!  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

What stared out as seemingly tame banter had quickly escalated into a whiny battle of wills.

"Boys, settle down," Alicia discretely scolded under her breath as she glanced evenly between her sons. "Now what's going on?"

"Artie doesn't want to sit on Santa's lap," Andy supplied flippantly.

"Do I have to?" he asked in response to his mothers questioning gaze.

"Of course not Sweetie," Alicia assured him, though her expression immediately turned from curious to concerned, "Not if you don't want to..."

"I just don't wanna have to transfer or be lifted in front of all these people," Artie cut in softly, and very self-consciously.

Alicia's expression softened considerably, it hadn't even crossed her mind that he would be thinking in such literal terms.

"But he has to," Andy argued before she had a chance to suppress Artie's fears. "Bobby says you gotta _sit_ on Santa's lap or he won't bring you any presents."

"I think Bobby might be a little confused Sweetheart," Alicia gently countered his logic with fact. "There's no rule that says you actually have to sit on his lap...think of all the kids who don't even get a chance to see Santa, or babies who aren't old enough to tell him what they want?" She gave Andy a moment to contemplate her words before continuing. "Santa has a way of finding you and bringing you everything you deserve, no matter what. And Artie honey...given the circumstances, I'm sure he will completely understand if you're uncomfortable with getting out of your chair. I'll bet he's not even expecting it."

Artie visibly relaxed at his mothers reassuring words and nodded appreciatively...until the photographer called out, "Next."

"Separate pictures or together?" she asked Alicia automatically.

"Together please," Alicia promptly replied, smiled, then looked down at her boys.

"You can go first," Artie mumbled to his brother.

Andy didn't need to be told twice, and without a seconds hesitation, he was clamoring into the jolly old mans lap, rattling off his lengthy list.

Artie felt the feathery touch of fingertips caress his back, then finally come to rest on his shoulder. He lifted his head slowly enough to catch his mothers eyes shifting from Andy to him, her soft features glowing with that supportive smile that just about always made everything okay. Smirking, Artie couldn't help but roll his eyes up at her when Andy asked Santa to switch out their unborn baby sister for a brother. For someone who'd just celebrated his birthday less than three weeks ago, Andy was sure asking for a _lot_ of things.

Alicia let out a soft chuckle in response before giving him a nod of her head and an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "It's your turn."

Bracing himself with a deep breath, the boy took off for the festively adorned throne. He was only given a minute or so to properly situate himself alongside Santa, opposite to where his brother was standing, before the impatient photographer shouted "smile" and snapped the picture. The flash hadn't even passed, and Andy was already bounding back over to their mother.

"Tell me what you'd like for Christmas, young man."

Artie was pleasantly snapped from his reverie...his mom was right, Santa wasn't going to make him do anything he didn't want to...and one look into those warm, albeit slightly sympathetic, green eyes, confirmed that.

"I'm not sure," Artie replied, his lips twisting to the side in deep contemplation. "I got a lot of toys when I was in the hospital, so I really don't need anymore..."

A hearty laugh cut him off. "Surely there's something out there that you'd like to have more than anything else," the suited man proclaimed, yet immediately regretted his choice of words. He let his eyes drop down and wondered what he would say if this little boy asked him to rid him of the affliction which bound him to that chair?

"There is something, but it's probably not something a lot of kids ask for..." Artie started out, blushing as he shrugged somewhat self-consciously. The mans chest clenched tightly with anticipation, but it was for naught. "I'd like to learn how to play the guitar."

The surprise request caught the Santa Clause by off guard and his tightly pursed lips quickly spread into a genuine grin. Artie returned the gesture. "I'd like that...a real one, not a kiddie guitar," he stated, far more confidently than before, "and lessons too."

Santa briefly glanced over at the mother for confirmation first. Alicia gave it without and ounce of hesitation, and in the form of a nod...complete with happy tears. "Well that sounds like something that could possibly be arranged," he continued, keeping the suspense alive by his wording "...especially for a young man who's been very good, and extremely brave, this year."

He took a chance at guessing the circumstances and it paid off. Big. Artie's bright blue eyes went huge from behind the lenses of his glasses, and his mouth fell open.

"Is there anything else you might want?" the man asked through his amused chuckle.

There was another moment of hesitation, but this time the little boys smile faltered and his gaze fell to his lap. Fearing he'd truly upset the youngster this time, Mr. Kringle leaned sideways on his elbow...

"Well I'm not sure if you can do this since it's not really for me," Artie interjected with a confession, still looking down at his shoes. "My Mom just found out she's having a baby girl, and it's always just been me and my brother, so we don't have any girl stuff..." Tentatively, the boy stopped his rambling and lifted his eyes to meet those of the jolly gift bringer. "I was thinking that since I'm not asking for any toys this year, maybe you could bring one for my sister instead...like a baby doll or something...so she'll have something to play with when she gets here."

In all his years of doing this seasonal job, this particular Santa Clause had never witnessed such a display of unselfishness...and from such a young child. "I'll see what I can do," he promised with a smile and wink of his twinkling eye.

"Thanks Santa," Artie beamed excitedly as he dropped the candy cane he was given into his lap, and reached out for the push rims of his chair. He'd only gotten about two feet when he abruptly stopped and twisted his head around. "Oh and Santa, if my brother asked for a Game-boy, could you maybe bring him one, even if he_ is_ on the naughty list?" he asked politely before giving a dismissive shrug. "Then maybe he won't have to play mine all the time."

Letting out a muffled laugh, Santa gave a small nod and whispered back, "I will keep that in mind."

Satisfied with those answers, Artie reclaimed the rims of his chair and took off to join his mother, who Santa noticed was busy paying for her purchase. Fearing the woman might have missed the importance of the two previous exchanges, the busy man rose from his seat. "Ma'am?"

Alicia swiveled to face the approaching man. His eyes landed on her growing belly and he smiled. "You have_ two_ very special boys," he told her, amending the statement in his head from one to two, before actually speaking the words.

"Thank you," Alicia replied, blushing at the compliment even though she felt it was the truest statement ever.

"I just thought you'd like to know, your older son...," he paused, making sure the two boys were safely out of earshot first, before motioning over at Artie. Alicia nodded. Andy's beefier build and Artie now 'shorter' stature, sometimes made guessing their ages a little more difficult...unless of course, you talked to them. "...has requested his brother get a Game-boy of his own..."

Alicia couldn't help but chuckle at that. That device had been such a source of grief for her for the past few months now...which was why she was more than just a little disappointed when her and Art couldn't quite swing getting him one of his own for his birthday. She looked over to make sure they were still busy admiring their picture. "We were planning on doing just that," she assured with a smile.

Santa returned the gesture easily. "You might also want to make sure there is something under you tree for her too." Alicia's hand instinctively went to her stomach. "He'd like her to have a baby doll."

All of the air was knocked from her lungs and her eyes welled with tears. She turned her head to look at her son, selflessly exchanging his perfect candy cane for his brothers broken one...and somehow _special_ just wasn't quite a strong enough word.


	25. Chapter 25

_**An authors note...**__**I feel like I should be apologizing for the lack of actual Christmas content in this chapter. I mean, the entire thing spans maybe a half hour or so, but this is the part I really wanted to show. Hope some of you are not completely disappointed by that...you all mean way to much to me for that to happen. Much love as always, and enjoy:)  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

With each passing day, the grief and sadness began to fade just a little bit more. The holidays were, surprisingly, no exception. Seeing the excitement, wonder and joy through the eyes of a child...especially a child who had been through as much as Artie had...was nothing short of a blessing.

He wasn't about to let the difficulties associated with his disability get him down anymore. He was tired of the stares, whispers, and rudeness of others making him cry. Sure, it was a bit of a hassle dealing with the wheelchair and the snowy cold of the season, and there were still times when being ignored or made fun of, made his tummy flutter and his chin tremble...but he was finally getting stronger, both physically and emotionally.

Getting stronger wasn't necessarily a speedy process though.

Alicia couldn't help but notice the slightly wistful look coming from Artie when Andy and Mark got sleds from Grandma and Grandpa Abrams and he got pajamas. Or his reluctance to join his brother and cousins on the floor around the tree because his balance still wasn't very good(would never be very good)...even though it was his own house.

Things like this always laid heavy on her mind, which made sleep hard to come by. Not that there was any time of the day conducive for relaxation... especially now, with her and the ever growing, always active baby inside of her, entering their sixth month of pregnancy.

The odd sensation of being watched came to her slowly, even before the sounds of excited chattering from the floor below...but not before her compressed bladder. Upon cracking one eye open, Alicia was greeted with soft porcelain skin and bright blue eyes staring intently at her. "Hi Mom...Merry Christmas!"

"Good morning Artie," she returned warmly, and matched that brilliant smile he was giving her. He was parked beside the bed with his head resting on folded arms, right next to hers. So close that Alicia barely had to move at all to plant a playful kiss to the tip of his nose. "Merry Christmas to you too Sweetheart."

"Oh sorry, we didn't wake you, did we?" Art asked just as he entered the room, his eyes darting apologetically between her and Artie.

Alicia gave a small smile in return and shook her head. "No you didn't...your daughter did," she assured them both with a pointed chuckle, before gingerly maneuvering herself into a seated position. "I have to get up anyway."

"He wanted to wait for you before going downstairs," Art added, again throwing glances between his wife and son...only this time the expression he wore was warm and full of pride.

Alicia couldn't help the holiday/pregnancy intensified tears that instantly sprang to her eyes. She tenderly cupped her hand around his cheek and smiled. "Thank you Honey."

Artie's cheeks flushed slightly as he gave a small bashful shrug and casually dismissive retort, "Andy would've beat me anyway."

If her expression softened anymore, she might have completely melted. Rising to her feet, Alicia was barely able to get her words out in a whisper, "I'll just be a minute, then we can all go downstairs together."

She was only gone for about two and a half minutes, but in that time, Art already had Artie in his arms, about to deposit him in the seat of the chair lift. "Just carry him down," Alicia suggested, smiling sincerely at both of them, "he doesn't need his chair right now."

Artie gave her a slightly skeptical look, but she just kept smiling at him all the way down the stairs.

"Mom, you're up," Andy squealed and bounced with delight. "Santa came...can we open the presents now?"

Alicia chuckled at his excitement. "In a few minutes, lets just get settled first," she replied, lowering herself to the section of floor in front of the large plush chair, next to the tree. Once her back was comfortably resting against it, she glanced up at Art, and flashed him a pointed smirk, just as he was about to set Artie on the couch. "Down here with me," she told him, patting the floor in front of her slightly straddled red flannel clad legs.

It was Art's turn to become perplexed and Artie's turn to beam happily. He was situated to maximize stability, without putting too much pressure on his mothers tummy. "Comfy?"

Artie nodded, then twisted his head over his shoulder to smile at her. "Thanks Mom," he muttered softly as he snuggled back against her.

Alicia smiled in return and wrapped her loving arms around him. "Now you can use you hands to open your presents, and still sit on the floor, like always."

Art smiled at the sweet exchange, then at the insistence of Andy, got to quick work passing out the much anticipated gifts.

As the packages started piling up in front of him, Artie expression turned surprised. "Wow...I didn't ask Santa for _all_ this," he stated, eyes widening in awe.

"Well, maybe Santa brought you a few more things because he knew that you were such a good boy this year," Alicia returned, catching herself before she slipped brave in over good...even though he was definitely both in her eyes.

Artie grinned sheepishly before reaching out for the first box, and tearing into the paper. It didn't take long before he got to the last and biggest present. Looking down at the open case in disbelief, his eyes went wide and mouth fell open. "A real guitar..."

"Looks like there's also a few books of music in there and a certificate for six months worth of lessons," Alicia added over his breathy whisper, her teary smile widening boundlessly over his excitement.

"It's exactly what I wanted," he muttered, a tiny bit louder, but with the same tone of astonishment.

"I didn't get exactly what I wanted," Andy whined from the other side of the room.

"What do you mean?" Art asked incredulously as he looked at the pretty substantial stack of toys sitting in front of his younger son. "You got your own Gameboy, that cool Lego set, a new soccer ball..."

"But I didn't get a skateboard, or pogo stick, or that Nerf gun..."

"Andy Honey," Alicia called out in a soothing, but pointed tone. "Santa brings you the things he believes you deserve, not every single thing you ask for."

The little boy sighed dramatically and fell backward onto the couch, arms folded defiantly across his chest. "So that probably means we're still getting a baby sister."

Alicia was just about to remind him that you can't ask to change the gender of a baby once it's already made, or ever really, when Art let out a small gasp. "That reminds me...," he said, his words trailing off as he reached under the tree to retrieve the lone package still sitting there. "Says here it's for baby girl Abrams..."

Artie turned his head to look back at his mother, huge smile growing to match the excitement dancing in his eyes. "I think know what it is," he practically squealed as he held an eager hand out for the box.

Art handed the gift over to their son to open, but not before first flashing Alicia a quick grin of his own. Artie began to wildly tear apart the paper until he got down to the factory packaging. "I knew it," he exclaimed, definitely squealing this time. "That Santa at the mall _is_ the real Santa Mom. He has to be, he's got a real jiggly belly and a real beard...and he's the only one I asked for this."

Alicia raised a surprised, if not slightly skeptical brow, to keep from ruining the poker face she was working so hard on maintaining...though she could do nothing to stop a softening smile from breaking through. "You asked Santa to bring your sister a gift?"

Artie looked from his mothers belly, down to the plush pink toy in his hands and shrugged dismissively. "I just wanted her to have something special."

"She already does...," Alicia stated with the utmost certainty. Her smile bubbling warmly as she tightened her hold around her son and placed a soft kiss to his cheek, "...she has you for a big brother."


	26. Chapter 26

_**An authors note...**__**I had originally planned to skip ahead a few months and post a more angsty chapter, but per request(I'm talking to you, Megan;) I decided to stick with a slightly lighter theme and ease through the winter months instead of skipping over them completely. If this small little arc is something you would like to see more of, I will gladly continue it in the next chapter, before moving on. Hope you enjoy this snippet and remember, requests and reviews are always welcome:)  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

Alicia often wondered if February in Ohio would be considered the winter equivalent to the dog days of summer. If not already...then it ought to be.

The excitement of the holidays was long over. The novelty with the new toys, those that hadn't been broken yet, had since faded. And regardless of what the groundhog had or hadn't seen, there was still going to be six more weeks of winter.

"What do you guys want to do today?" was currently one of Alicia's most frequently asked questions. It wasn't an easy task finding activities her two, very different, boys could agree on...and that almost never had anything to do with Artie's disability.

The Abrams, Alicia especially, vowed to never exclude Artie from anything. If he wanted to try something, they'd find a way to accommodate him. When he wanted to play in the first big snowfall of the year, Art was there to help him to the ground and move his legs so he could make a snow-angel. When the family went out to clear the path and drive, Artie was given a shovel and expected to do his part...which usually consisted of him holding the shovel to the ground, while Alicia pushed him from behind...both of them laughing the entire time.

Of course there were always precautions and preparations that had to be made to make sure he didn't get too wet, or too cold...especially since the lower half of his body was no longer able to regulate temperature. But that usually proved to not be too difficult, as long as he was dressed properly, wasn't out for very long, and took frequent breaks to warm up or dry off.

"I wanna go play hockey."

Okay, then there were answers like that...

"Movies, popcorn and hot cocoa."

Alicia couldn't help but smile at Artie's usual request, but it was Art's suggestion that really got her attention. "Or we could start on that room upstairs."

"Yeah," Artie seconded, bouncing enthusiastically.

Alicia's eyes widened in surprise. "But I don't have anything," she balked in protest, and by not anything, she meant absolutely nothing. In fact, she'd only gotten as far as clearing out the space and having the carpet steamed.

"Which is exactly why we need to get a move on," Art quipped playfully as he ran his hand over her protruding belly, "She'll be here before we know it."

Blinking rapidly in an attempt to control the moisture that was pooling in her eyes, Alicia smiled lovingly at _all_ of her boys. Her watery gaze met Art's and suddenly his arms were around her. There was an unspoken understanding between the two.

It was the reason she wouldn't let herself get too excited. The reason they hadn't told anyone of pregnancy until she began to show, well after the critical first trimester. The reason she'd put off preparing for their daughter's arrival for so long.

Life has a cruel way of kicking you when you're already down...and they'd already lost one child through miscarriage and almost lost another seven months ago, in that horrific car accident. Plain and simple, Alicia Abrams was afraid to jinx herself, her family, or tempt fate in any way.

After a gentle squeeze and kiss to the top of the head, Art broke the embrace and smiled at his beautiful wife. "If you already know what colors you'd like, I can take the boys with me to hardware store to pick up some paint, while you go look for furniture..."

"Wait. I wanna go pick things out too," Artie interjected pleadingly.

Alicia smiled warmly at her son, though her eyes were peering skeptically. "Are you sure Sweetie?" The rhetorical question was met with an emphatic nod, and in that moment Alicia berated herself for getting rid of all of her baby stuff after the miscarriage...but really, the doctors said there was little to no chance she'd ever get pregnant again. "There are a lot of things to look at and a lot of decisions to make. We may need to go to a bunch of stores before we find everything we're looking for...," the rest of her words trailed off unfinished..._and it's slushy and sloppy and cold outside..."_

"That's okay, " he assured her as he prepared to transfer from the couch to his chair, "I really want to help."

Her expression soften the more Artie's brightened, and even Andy's whine of protest, "Awww...do we have to go shopping?," wasn't about to change that.

Overlooking the objection for a moment, Art flashed Alicia a pointed smirk, "It would be nice to do this together...as a family project..."

"It would," she whispered, nodding in agreement. There was a strong kick to her abdomen that made Alicia grin from ear to ear and think...maybe it finally _was_ time to let herself be happy again.


	27. Chapter 27

_**An authors note...**__**Here it is...only slightly changed from my original plan. Not as much actual 'preparing' in this snippet as I wanted...I'm afraid my muse had other ideas. Some cute mental images starting out the next chapter...before the flood of angst washes in. Again, I can never thank you enough for all of the support and love I'm getting for this story, it truly is a blessing...just like each and every one of you:)  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

As it turned out, Andy was pretty compliant after the promise of lunch at their favorite family pizzeria was made. He hadn't complained once at the hardware store, not even when they had to wait almost thirty minutes for Artie to agree on the perfect shade of pink for the nursery walls.

However, stepping foot inside the baby superstore, _after_ lunch was over, was a completely different story.

"Can we go now?"

Alicia let out a dismissively breathy chuckle as she looked up from the two packages of pacifiers she was comparing. "Andy Honey, we just got here," she reminded him in a pointed voice, very similar to the one she used to explain their expectations of him, less than twenty minutes ago.

"But I'm tired," he complained, pouting, "...and bored..."

"Hey get off," the yelp from Artie came just seconds later.

"I wanna sit down," Andy whined in reply.

"That doesn't mean you can sit on me," Artie countered incredulously. "Sit on the floor."

Andy groaned. "But the floor's dirty...and cold..."

"Come on Andrew, that's enough now," Alicia gently reprimanded, thought her tone conveyed annoyance at the exchange. It wasn't exactly clear, however, if all of that annoyance was directed at Andy's griping...or Art's obvious amusement by it. "I'm sorry you're bored with all of this Honey...but like I told you earlier, we have a lot of preparing to do for the baby."

"Do you want me to take him home?," Art offered casually, seemingly oblivious to her discontent. "I can get a head start on the painting..."

Out of the corner of her eye, Alicia could see Artie's expression crumble, and that nearly broke her heart. "I thought we were going to do this as a family," she muttered dishearteningly.

Art watched to where her gaze had shifted, and he frowned too. "We are," he assured them both with nod and smile. "Let me just find him somewhere to sit for a little bit...maybe find a vending machine for a snack..."

"I've gotta go to the bathroom too," Andy cut in innocently.

"And a restroom," Art chuckled, breaking out into a widening grin. "Do you two need a break too, or..."

Alicia turned to Artie before Art could even get the rest of the question out, and smiled. "Looks like it's going to be just the two of us for a little while Sweetie...you okay with that?"

That was just the way he liked it, but Artie wasn't about to say that. Instead, he just beamed up at his parents and nodded, "I think we can handle it."

...

They were inching their way through the store when Alicia noticed something peculiar about Artie. "Honey, what are you writing down?" she asked, curiously peering over his shoulder.

"Just a list of things I might want to get for the baby," he answered, innocently looking up from the notebook in his lap, to his mother.

"That's just about everything I said I liked," Alicia quipped playfully, though her voice cracked at the thoughtful gesture...especially since many of those items were priced well over any, soon-to-be, nine year old's budget. She chuckled as she read on, "And even a few things I wasn't sure we even needed."

Artie shrugged sheepishly. "I just want to make sure I don't pick out the wrong things." It wasn't a lie...he would never do that...it just so happened that, by the way he'd worded it, Artie was hoping to be exempt from explaining himself any further.

Which would be for the best, since he was actually working in conjunction with his Grandmother and Aunts, to obtain the information they needed to throw Alicia the surprise baby shower they were planning. Artie was secretly copying the wish list that would later become his mothers baby registry. He was their undercover operative.

Alicia never suspected a thing. How could she? She was too busy being in total awe at how unbelievably selfless, considerate, and mature her little boy was...actually, had always been.

A watery smile was the best she could give him at the moment, as they came upon the vast furniture section...the main reason for their visit. Alicia slowly weaved in an out of the displays, glancing back every few seconds to make sure Artie was right behind her and not in need of any help maneuvering.

"What do you like better, natural wood, or painted?" she threw the question out to him casually...both because she truly valued his opinion and because Art and Andy were still nowhere to be found.

Artie didn't need to take long to think about his answer, he knew the minute he saw _it_. "Definitely white," he replied, smiling as he looked up at his mother, "It's more girlie."

Alicia let out a small chuckle along with her nod of agreement. "What do you think of this style? " she inquired about the display to her right. "I know it's shown in dark wood, but most of these sets come in different finishes..."

"I like this one Mom." The voice came from somewhere behind Alicia, surprising her. She hadn't even realized Artie was no longer next to her.

"That's beautiful Honey," she stated, walking over to him. And it was...antique white finish, scalloped edges, a cluster of hand-carved rosette design detailed on the top section of the solid side panels, matching that of the dressers and changing table...

"It looks like it's made for a princess," he added, blushing self-consciously as soon as the comment left his lips.

"It sure does," Alicia agreed, grinning as she downplayed his embarrassment with casualness. The smile fell, however, as soon as she turned over the price tag...and that was_ just_ for the crib. "But it's a little out of our price range..."

Artie tried not to show too much disappointment, but Alicia could see it...along with a countenance bordering on guilt...and it made her chest tighten. "I was hoping to find something that would grow with her and convert to a bed...like this one."

Artie nodded. "It's nice..."

"But you like the other one better," she finished for him. At his second, more definitive nod, Alicia grinned and revealed, "So do I."

...

The furniture purchase took less haggling than Alicia had anticipated. They would be able to save almost forty percent if they bought the display model of this discontinued set, that paired with a small compromise(price only, not quality) on the infant car set/stroller travel system...going with "the pink one I picked out"...instead of Alicia's double the price pick...baby Abrams would soon have the princess bedroom her brother had envisioned for her.

"Do we really need _all_ of that?" Art asked, the minute he and Andy caught up to the overflowing shopping cart.

"Artie just asked me the same thing," Alicia replied, giggling slightly at the coincidence. She never saw the conspiratorial smirks exchanged between her two Arthur's. "I guess we could just get the essentials today," she reasoned. With already one big purchase under her belt, Alicia really didn't want to spend another mortgage payment on all the cutesie extras.

"And it's not like you're not going to get a ton of stuff as gifts and after she's born," Art added, winking slyly at Artie as he did. "Not to mention all of the hand-me-downs passed to her from your sisters..."

"That's true...," Alica trailed off as she began picking through the top of the pile. "But I really want to get her this outfit to come home in..."

"And the purple flower one that says 'little sister'," Artie chimed in with his request.

Art let out a hearty chuckle. "We'll go get you two an empty cart so you can sort all of this stuff out."

Alicia smiled as she passed the items over to and eager Artie. "You know what else we need to pick out for her?" she asked and watched with amusement as his mouth turned contemplative and he shook his head.

Looking at the cart in front of him, Artie couldn't imagine they'd forgotten _anything_.

"A name," Alicia continued, smiling both pointedly and loving at her son. "Do you think you could help us with that too?"

"Really?" Artie gasped incredulously.

Alicia gave a definitive nod. "I was thinking we should probably stick with a name that..."

"Begins with an A?" Artie interjected pointedly

Alicia bobbed her head once again, and matched the grin he was giving her. "And doesn't have the same middle initial for individuality's sake. It would probably be best if it wasn't silly sounding..."

"Like Anna Banana?" he quipped playfully.

"Exactly," Alicia chuckled, ruffling his silky hair with her hand.

"I think I can do that," Artie replied, absolutely beaming up at her.

Alicia smoothed his hair down and bent slightly to kiss the top of his head. "I was hoping you'd say that."


	28. Chapter 28

_**An authors note...**__**I know how much you were all enjoying the fluff, and we will get back to that next chapter, but in the mean time, I just had to get this posted. I am trilled with the continued support of this story and appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. For those of you who wish to see Artie react differently to certain situations(and not become a plaster saint, as Mom so eloquently put it:) that's definitely coming too.  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

It took just over a month to transform the third bedroom of the Abrams house into a space fit for a little princess.

Much of that time was spent waiting. Waiting for the replacement for the damaged armoire, waiting for the back ordered bedding to come in, waiting for the snow to finally melt and the seasons to change from winter to spring.

The latter was still a week away, but the weather had improved tremendously. At nearly sixty degrees and bright sunshine, this was the perfect Saturday afternoon.

"Hey boys, I'm so glad you could make it."

The greeting came from a smiling Sarah Brady. It was her oldest son Jeremy's, tenth birthday, and he was determined to have the coolest party out of anyone of his friends.

So Bouncin' Bob's it was.

At only seven months old, it was the newest party center in town, equipped with the largest selection of inflatables this part of Ohio had ever seen, a huge arcade room with over fifty games, including Laser Tag, an indoor amusement park featuring rides for all ages, and a months long waiting list to book a birthday party.

"I am too," Alicia replied playfully, as she gave Sarah a friendly hug. "Hope it's okay we're a little early, but I'm still not sure how things are bound go with having Art out of town...but day three and so far so good."

"He comes home Monday, right?"

Alicia smiled over at Sarah's husband Darren and nodded affirmatively, "His flight's supposed to arrive at 3pm."

The three adults smiled at one another throughout a few more pleasantries, and Andy's announcement he was going to find Nate, before the air turned slightly uncomfortable. Darren stepped a little closer to Alicia, and gave a quick glance in Sarah's direction, before speaking, "I talked with the manager here to see if maybe I could take Artie on some of the stuff out there, but he said there's a huge liability..."

Alicia flashed the Brady's an understanding smile...it wasn't their fault, policy was policy. "We we're figuring as much," she replied softly...and they did, even before she herself had called, as soon as they had received the invitation, just three days ago.

Artie glanced up at the adults and gave an indifferent shrug, in addition to his beaming smile. He was perfectly content with just being invited. He and Jeremy weren't very close anymore...in fact, they hardly ever interacted, save for the few times their parents had gotten together outside of the normal neighborly interactions. And _that_ usually amounted to a whole lot of nothing but awkwardness. Artie was hoping that was about to change.

"I was just going to run to the mall to return a few things...," Alicia felt the need to explain. "But I could always say here if you'd like," she offered, pausing only when her momma-bear concern began to resurface. Acknowledging Artie with a loving smile, she then added, "Or you could come with me..."

A small blush of embarrassment began to creep over his cheeks, "I'll be okay Mom," he countered softly.

"You sure?," Alicia asked, needing his confirmation, as well as leaving open the option, if he felt uncomfortable staying. It came in the form of a definitive nod.

"Of course," Darren answered instead, as he gave Artie a reassuring wink, "we're going to have a great time." There had been mention of certain disturbing issues that could arise, and Darren would be lying if he said that didn't make him little nervous, but they'd been around Artie enough to understand that most were not very likely, and the others the boy could handle on his own.

"Okay," Alicia finally conceded. "I won't be far and I'll have my cell phone if you need me for anything..." Her words trailed off, but her encouraging smile never faded. She turned back to Sarah to ask,"Four o'clock, right?"

"Give or take," she replied playfully, and held her arms open for another hug, just as an influx of party goers arrived.

"Would you keep and eye on your brother..." Alicia regarded Artie one more time, "...make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble?"

"Sure Mom," Artie nodded affirmatively, smiling up at her.

Alicia was just about to give Artie a goodbye hug like she usually did, but in seeing that none of the other parents were doing that, she decided not to risk embarrassing him in front of his peers and opted instead for a gentle pat on the shoulder and a smile. "See you in a bit," she promised, bending over as far as she could to whisper in his ear. Before straightening back up again, however, Alicia couldn't help but plant a small, very discrete peck on Artie's left cheek. "Have fun," she grinned, holding his gaze as long as she could.

Artie turned back to find he was alone with Mr. and Mrs. Brady, until Jeremy stalked over to the party room entrance and demanded, "Why is_ he_ here?"

Jeremy's tone was soft, but the words biting...and loud enough for those who had followed him, to hear. Most of whom snickered along in amusement.

"Now that is no way to greet...," Sarah began to scold.

"I told you I didn't want to invite him Mom," he cut in, even softer this time.

"Yes, but I thought that was because we were having your party here and Artie wouldn't be able to...," her words trailed off as she glanced between the two boys, one lowering his head in regret, and the other trying stoically to accept what he suspected was about to transpire before him.

Jeremy looked away guiltily...sure he agreed with her, but that was only to get her off of his back...

Darren stepped forward to acknowledge his son with a firm tone and stern eyes. "Jer, you and Artie have been friends for a very long..."

"No, I'm not his friend...," the boy interjected just as firmly, "...at least not anymore," and turned on his heel, sprinting back out into the play area.

"Jeremy," Darren called out to him, and the group of boys jogging after him," you get right back here young man..."

"I can't believe him," Sarah gasped, aghast and equally mortified.

"It's probably those junior high kids he's been hanging around with...," Darren began to say, but when he turned, his gaze fell upon where Sarah's was headed.

"Oh Artie honey, I'm so sorry," she cried apologetically, closing the gap between them in only four steps.

"It's okay Mrs. Brady..."

"No it's not," Darren countered pointedly, though his expression was soft and remorseful. "And I'm going to go right out there and bring him back here to apologize..."

"You don't have to do that Mr. Brady."

Darren furrowed his brow. "I most certainly do."

"You shouldn't have to make him be my friend if he doesn't want to be," Artie responded, shaking his head regretfully. "I don't want to ruin his birthday."

Darren looked helplessly over at Sarah, who's eyes had already filled up with tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I suppose I can't," he conceded in defeat, "But that doesn't give him the right to be rude to his guests..."

"Artie dear," Sarah spoke over her husband, at a loss of what to do next. "I'm sure your Mom hasn't gotten very far. If you want, I could call her and ask her to come back..."

"That's okay Mrs. Brady, I'll stay," Artie maintained steadfastly, "I promised Mom I'd keep and eye on Andy anyway."

Sarah might have actually smiled at the mature way Artie spoke, if sorrowfulness of the situation wasn't enough to make her cry. "Are you sure?" Artie shifted slightly in his chair, like Sarah had seen him do on occasion, and squared his shoulders as he nodded affirmatively.

There was a slight pause before Artie's timid voice called out again. "Mrs. Brady?...," Sarah turned to face him. "Can you maybe not tell my Mom about this when she comes to pick us up?" There was another hesitation and her expression turned imploring, especially when she noticed how tightly he was wringing his fingers together in his lap. Artie gave a small dismissive shrug, "It's just that she gets kind of upset when things like this happen..."

"This has happened before?"

It was Darren this time, his voice full of incredulity. Sarah didn't need an answer, the way Artie's eyes cast down on the floor, was painful confirmation enough. The couple shared a meaningful glance, before either of them spoke again. "Tell you what kiddo," Darren stated a few seconds later, "I need to get the rest of the things out of the car," speaking directly to Artie. "How about after I do that, we let Mrs. Brady over here keep an eye on this end of the party, while we go over to the arcade to play some games?"

Artie glanced between them, looking slightly reluctant on account of having promised his mother that _he'd_ be the one looking out for his brother. At Sarah's encouraging nod, he flashed an appreciative smile. "Okay." Darren grinned. "I could come with you first," Artie offered politely in his next breath. "I'm able to carry a lot of things in my chair...I help my Mom with the groceries all the time."

"Okay then ," Darren instructed, his smile widening. Even Sarah couldn't resist, though hers was still a bit anguished, "...follow me."

...

Alicia tried her best to stay out as close to four o'clock as she could, but she'd finished her shopping early, and was feeling a little tired...and more than a little anxious. This was not only the first non-family party Artie was attending since the accident, but the first time she'd left him with a non-family member, for more than and hour or two at a time.

Sarah was just cleaning up the scraps of discarded paper, when Alicia walked in, still about ten minutes early. "How did it go?" she asked softly, as to not startle the friend who back was to her.

"Oh Alicia," Sarah gasped in surprise as she turned around. "It was fine," she added, trying to sound as convincing as possible, and keep her promise to Artie. Alicia smiled, so Sarah forced a light chuckle. "Great actually," she corrected after seeing the curious flicker in the other mothers eye. "Darren and Artie are still over in the arcade playing games."

"Oh, I bet he's loving that," Alicia quipped, nearly beaming. Sarah smiled again, this time a little more genuinely. "I'm good for mostly everything," Alicia added, shrugging playfully, "but I know he's missing Art."

Sarah's expression softened to the point she was almost in tears again, but Alicia didn't see it. "I just really appreciate you guys including Artie, even though you knew he wouldn't be able participate as fully as the other kids," she continued casually. "He couldn't believe it when Andy brought home the invitation...he was so ecstatic. All he's wanted since_...then,_ is to be treated like everyone else, and I kept telling him to be patient...that it would just be a matter of time before all of his friends came around...and see that he's still the same little boy he's always..."

Alicia's words were cut short by the crushing pressure of an embrace by her sobbing friend.

"Oh Sarah, I didn't mean to make you cry...," she cooed, rubbing a comforting hand over the other woman's back.

"God, I'm so sorry Alicia," Sarah returned shakily.

"It's okay," she assured her with a soft chuckle, unaware of the real reason for her friends sudden breakdown. "Just don't let him see you cry...he wouldn't want that..."

"Hey Mom?" Artie's questioning voice broke through the moment. His suspicious eyes darted nervously between the two women, until his mothers beaming smile greeted him fully.

"Hi Honey...did you have fun?"

Artie avoided exchanging glances with the Brady's, focusing instead on wording his answers just right. "Yeah, I got to help Mr. B with the party stuff...I even got to carry in the cake," he boasted, but humbly of course. "Then we played some games..."

"Kids a master at skee ball," Darren commented, sharing a conspiratorial smirk with the young boy, "beat me ten games to one."

Alicia smiled proudly at him. "And Andy was good too," he made sure to tell her, "even washed his hands before cake."

"I wouldn't let him have one otherwise," Sarah quipped, almost fully recovered from her moment of weakness. Which was for the best since it wasn't long before a parade of sweaty boys came trudging back into the party room.

"Do we hafta go Mom?"

"Well hello to you too Sweetheart," Alicia greeted her youngest playfully as she combed her finger though his damp hair. "And yes, it is time to leave."

"Awwwwwwww." The groan came before the pout.

"Wait, we have goodie bags," Sarah announced, motioning for Darren to hand the treat sacks, she'd so meticulously filled with toys and candy, over to Jeremy, to pass out.

It was hard to imagine Alicia would have noticed the tension in the air between the two boys, by the broad smile she was still sporting. The first bag was passed to Andy, the second to Artie. "Thanks for inviting us," he replied politely, speaking more to Sarah and Darren, than Jeremy.

"Thanks for coming," Jeremy mumbled back, after a not so subtle nudge to the shoulder, from his father.

The rest of the goodbyes took only seconds, and soon Alicia and the boys were in the van and on their way home. It was only about halfway into asking Artie to describe, in detail, all the games he got to play in the arcade, when Alicia couldn't help but point out, "Just about two months until your birthday...almost time to decide what kind of party you want to have, and who you want to invite..."

Artie didn't say anything, but he knew exactly what kind of party he'd be choosing...

None.


	29. Chapter 29

_**An authors note...**__**Huge hugs to all my readers...thanks so much! SO humbled by the warm response to the last chapter, even though it was very heavy on the angst. This one will be a little bit lighter, and bridge us nicely into the fluffy pieces that are soon to come. I would like to dedicate this chapter to Megan, in hopes that some sweet Artie/Alicia will make her smile...and not sob too badly:) Enjoy!  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

With the baby's due date, or D(delivery)-day as Art had jokingly dubbed it, fast approaching, Alicia was grateful for some very welcomed time together with her boys.

The family usually planned a small getaway during Artie's spring break from school, but this year proved to be different...very different. Art and Alicia didn't think it would be wise to travel with her this late into her pregnancy, and Artie only out of the hospital five months. Besides, a trip to the water park resort they had gone to last year, didn't seem all that appealing anymore...at least to no one but Andy.

Alicia wanted nothing more than to make this week special for the both of them, but one glimpse at Artie through the window, sitting on the front porch, staring wistfully at all the kids playing around him, and she felt she was failing miserably.

"Hey Sweetie...," Alicia greeted as opened the door and slipped out. That caught Artie's attention, so much so, he was able to divert his gaze, and smile up at his mother. "What are you doing?" she asked softly, taking a seat on the chair next to him.

"Just reading," Artie answered, briefly glancing down at the book in his lap, before meeting her eyes once again. "I watched Andy cross the street," he stated dutifully, "...he didn't look both ways."

"Well then, I'll have to have a talk with him as soon as he gets back from Ryan's," Alicia assured him with a smile, filled with both appreciation and pride.

Artie grinned back, but his gaze faltered slightly. Alicia could tell he was trying really hard to not pay attention to the squeals and laughter going on across the street. "Did you know that whale sharks can live to be 150 years old?"

The randomness of that question made her smile. "I do now," she replied, as casually as she could without revealing the emotion that was bubbling up in the back of her throat.

"And the smallest species of shark only averages about four inches."

Alicia forced her smile wider. "Sounds like a really interesting book," she commented quietly, her expression softening to a questioning gaze. "Would you mind taking a break from it, though?" Artie's eyes flickered up to meet hers again. "I was hoping maybe we could do something together."

"Sure," he exclaimed, beaming. "I mean, yeah."

"Anything you want to do...it's such a beautiful day out...," Alicia stated, pausing only to take in the fresh air and glance around. "We could play some catch if you'd like...," she suggested, but backpedaled as soon as she noticed his eyes lower self-consciously, "...or we could just...take a little walk..."

"Okay," he interjected, perking right back up.

"Okay," she parroted, her grin widening genuinely this time...to match the one Artie was wearing, "...let me just grab my keys and call over to Ryan's house, to let Andy know we'll be gone for a bit."

...

As they strolled, Alicia noticed Artie becoming less and less distracted by the neighborhood kids playing around them, and more engrossed in reciting fun shark facts, or simply taking in the beauty of their surroundings.

"Hey Mom, are you okay?" Artie asked a trailing Alicia, his eyes wide with concern.

"I'm fine Sweetie," she was quick to answer, though still slightly breathless as she struggled to keep up. "I'm sorry I'm not very fast right now," she added with an apologetic frown, "It's not easy moving with all this extra weight, and there's not a lot of room left in there, so when your sister decides to stretch like that, I have to stop and take a break."

Artie couldn't help but smile, as much as he felt bad that his mother was so uncomfortable, talk of his baby sister always made him happy.

"Should we go back home?"

Alicia regarded her son for a moment, he was truly the most selfless child she had ever known. She lovingly caressed his cheek, and cupped his chin in her hand. "I think I can make it a little farther...if we go slow."

"I can go slow," Artie replied definitively, then paused a beat as he glanced back over his shoulder, and offered, "And you can hold on if you need to."

Alicia simply beamed. There were so many times throughout the day that she wanted nothing more than to scoop Artie into her arms and squeeze him...this was definitely one of those times. "How about you rest your arms for a bit and let me push," she offered, knowing from the short eight months of experience, that it took more effort and control for Artie to go slow than it did for him to push at a normal stride, "that way I can go as slow as I need, while still holding on for support?"

Artie flashed his trademark grin and nodded, then simply folded his hands in his lap, and let his mother take over the reigns.

The two continued on in companionable silence for a few minutes, each one lost in their own thoughts, when Artie lowered his hands back down to the rims of his chair. "Do you think she'll like me, Mom?"

"What Honey..." Alicia, caught off guard, stammered to clarify, "do I think who will like you?"

"The baby?"

Well, she definitely wasn't prepared for _that_. Her throat seized painfully and her eyes filled with tears. "Of course Artie...what makes you think she wouldn't like you?," she managed to croak out, before a single tear made it's way down her cheek.

Artie shrugged as he simultaneously pulled his chair to a stop on the path they were strolling down. "I don't know," he said meekly, eyes cast down, hands twisting in his lap. "I'm just not gonna be able to do all the things I did with Andy...with her."

Alicia was able to choke back the rest of her tears, even though she felt like her heart was being ripped from her chest. "No, I suppose you wont...," she replied, matter-of-fact but tenderly, "...but you might not have done those same things together anyway."

That got his attention, and Artie's imploring eyes immediately flickered up to meet Alicia's. She led him to a bench alongside the path, and sat down next to him. "First of all Artie, she's a girl...," Alicia gently reminded him, "...and second, she's never going to know you any other way."

Artie gave a halfhearted nod, and it was obvious neither of those facts brought him much comfort. "I just wanna be a really good big brother," he confided softly.

"Oh Honey, you already are a _great_ big brother," Alicia countered reassuringly, but Artie still wasn't convinced. Tenderly, she grasped her sons small hand and held it in her. "You know what a little sister needs from a big brother?" Artie held her watery gaze and shook his head. "She needs someone who will be patient with her...someone who doesn't mind occasionally playing Barbie dolls, or baking cupcakes, or going to ballet recitals. She needs a brother who will show her, by example, how to be a good person, who will love her unconditionally...and protect her as best he can."

"I can do all that," Artie beamed, promising without reservation.

"I know you can," Alicia concurred, just as definitively. "And I also know that you never have to worry about your sister not liking you, Sweetheart," she stated, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, before placing it on her rippling belly for emphasis and smiling at him, "...because I'm pretty sure she already loves you."


	30. Chapter 30

_**An authors note...**__**Quick note because Doc manager is not working right today and I really want to post this. So much love for all who continue to support this story by reading and reviewing...you guys means SO much to me. This snippet will be continued in the next chapter where Artie finally gets to meet his baby sister. Hope you enjoy this one:D  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

_12:07am April 23, 2002_

Rustled from as deep a sleep as she could obtain in her current predicament, Alicia cracked her eyes open and was met with a surprise sitting next to her bed. "Artie honey," she gasped softly, then struggled to maneuver into a seated position. "What's wrong?"

"Is it happening yet?" he asked anxiously.

Alicia furrowed her brow as she gingerly slid her swollen legs out of the bed and onto the floor. "Is what happening Sweetie?" she queried cautiously and sat up on the edge of the mattress.

"Your labor," he replied in all casualness. "It's after midnight, so today's your due date."

Alicia's expression turned from questioning to adoring in less than a second. "Oh Honey, that's not exactly how it works," she explained, as gently as she could, knowing the truth would not exactly be the answer he was hoping to hear. "Just because she due today, doesn't necessarily mean she's going to born today."

Just as expected, Artie's mouth twisted to the side in that way that always made Alicia melt a little. "But the doctor did say it could be any day now," she added, hoping to appease him some.

Artie hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded. "So she could still be born today?" he half stated, half questioned.

Alicia let out a soft chuckle, and nodded back, "Yes Honey, there is still a chance she could be born today."

"Good," Artie replied, beaming.

"But if she's anything like her brothers...," Alicia trailed off teasingly. Both her boys were born days past their due dates, Artie at six days and Andy, nine.

"Everything okay?" Art mumbled sleepily from the other side of the bed as he began to roll over.

"Yes," Alicia assured him, glancing over her shoulder and smiling. "Artie was just checking up on us."

Art raised a brow in recognition and grinned back. "Well that was very thoughtful of you Ace," he acknowledged his son first before returning his attention back to his wife. "And _how are_ the two of you doing tonight?"

"Just fine, thank you very much," Alicia bantered back, playing along. They shared both a loving glace, and a smile.

"Well good," Art announced, reaching over to the nightstand for his glasses. "And now that we've settled that, why don't we get you back to bed Kiddo?"

"I can do it myself Dad," Artie replied earnestly as he began to lift his hands from his lap.

Art caught the worried glance Alicia was giving him over her shoulder and quickly got to his feet. She had this persistent fear of a drowsy Artie getting out of bed late at night, becoming disoriented and misjudging where his chair was in relationship to the stairs, and falling. To be honest, the simple thought of that disturbed him enough to send a shiver up his spine.

"I know you can, but I'm up anyway," Art established easily, and made his way around the bed.

" M'kay," Artie reluctantly agreed as he glanced over at Alicia." Night Mom."

"Goodnight Sweetheart," Alicia cooed, pulling him into the least awkward embrace she could muster. "I love you."

Artie broke the embrace, backed his chair enough to look up at his mother, and absolutely beamed. "I love you too Mom."

...

_4:51pm April 25, 2002_

"There you are," Alicia stated from the doorway of the nursery.

Artie glanced over his shoulder and smiled up at her. "I'm just making sure we have everything ready," he replied, very nonchalant, and very maturely, then turned his attention back to the changing table he'd been inspecting. "I don't think we have enough diapers."

Alicia stifled a chuckle and padded into the room. "I didn't buy very many because I'm not sure what size we'll need," she explained as she slowly lowered herself into the rocking chair near where Artie was seated. "She's measuring on the bigger side, and since neither you or your brother ever fit into the newborn size, I figured we'd start out with the ones and see how fast she grows from there."

Artie grinned, his eyes locking with Alicia's. He sat there, studying his mother for a minute, wondering if she'd look the same as she did, after the baby was born. Of course she was still beautiful now...even if her face was a little puffy. "Mom, how long did it take for you to have me?"

"Nine months," Alicia quipped playfully.

Artie let out a small chuckle and lowered his head sheepishly. "No, I mean how long did it take me to be born."

Alicia's smile widened, she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Well, I went into the hospital a little after ten in the morning on Tuesday, and you were born at 5:33 Wednesday evening."

"That's like a day and a half," he gasped incredulously.

"Thirty one hours," she supplied in detail, much to Artie's chagrin. Noticing the frown of disappointment this caused, Alicia was quick to amend, "Andy's was much shorter...only nineteen hours."

There was a slight spark of hope visible behind his glasses, but not much. Alicia knew how hard it was to wait for something that you've been looking forward to for so long...and she was definitely more than ready to have this baby.

"You want to go downstairs and help me get dinner ready?" she asked, changing the subject to take his mind off of the waiting.

"Sure," he exclaimed eagerly. Food generally did the trick, and this time was no different. "What are we having?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs," Alicia replied with a smile.

Artie returned the gesture, twice a big. "Can we have garlic bread too?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," Alicia returned, without reservation...or even a thought of the heartburn that was sure to result from this meal...the only thing that mattered to her, was the smile on Artie's face.

...

_8:39pm April 27, 2002_

"You think she'll come tomorrow Mom?"

It was one of the same five questions Artie had been asking for the past week now...and each time Alicia was forced to give him the same answer.

"I hope so Sweetie," she replied tenderly and cupped his cheek, before leaning forward and kissing his forehead.

"I do too," he agreed sleepily, then thought it best to reiterate, "I really want her to come tomorrow."

"I know you do," she cooed, running her hand through his bangs,"But if not tomorrow, then definitely Monday." Artie gave a sluggish nod as his eyes drifted shut. Alicia was thankful that he had finally letting himself succumb to the powerful effects of the muscle relaxant he took over an hour ago to eliminate the particularly intense spasms he was suffering from.

"He asleep?" Art softly called from the doorway.

Alicia looked over her shoulder and nodded. "Sorry," she whispered, apologizing because Artie had fallen asleep before Art was able to wish him a proper goodnight. "Andy?"

"Waiting for you," he replied, grinning, and quickly rushed to her side to help her up from the edge of the bed she was perched on. Alicia let out a soft groan as she got to her feet. "You okay?" Art asked, concerned.

"Fine," she replied dismissively, with a kiss to the cheek, before shuffling out of the room. Pausing at the door, Alicia glanced back in time to see Art plant his own soft kiss to Artie's forehead.

_2hours later..._

"My parents are on their way."

Art stopped in his tracks, right outside the bathroom door, and stared at his wife. "It's time?" he asked, a grin of amazement quickly spreading across his lips.

"I think so...I don't know, I've never actually gone into labor," Alicia panted through the pain. "We had to be induced both times with the boys, and both times I had back labor...this is definitely _not_ back labor."

"Well then," Art snickered as he picked up the packed bag next to the door with one hand, and held the other to his wife, "let's go find out if we're having a baby tonight."

_11:22pm April 27, 2002  
_

Everything was happening so quickly_..._too quickly...

"Alicia, this is your last chance to get the epidural before it's too late."

"I said I didn't want one," she ground out through clenched teeth_._

"But you've had one both of your other deliveries..."

"I don't want it with this one," she repeated, face crumbling and lip trembling.

"it'll alleviate the pain your in..."

"Art please," Alicia implored, sobbing and writhing in the bed...though Art wasn't sure if it was from the physical pain, or the emotional. "I don't want it...please."

"Okay," he cooed, assuring her with a gentle squeeze of the hand. His mind drifted back to the comment she'd made after having the procedure with Artie. While it did succeed in eliminating the pain, it also made her legs feel like dead weights...and then the panic that set in with Andy, when she was given too strong of a dose and couldn't feel or move them at all, for almost an hour. "How about something just to take the edge off?"

At Alicia's weary nod, the nurse left to prepare the syringe.

_12:03am April 28, 2002  
_

"You did it," Art exclaimed, watching as the nurse carried his newborn daughter off to be cleaned and measured.

"We did it," Alicia amended, crying tears of both elation and exhaustion.

"She's beautiful," he stated, beaming proudly as one of the nurses began to call out the baby's statistics to the other.

"I hardly got a chance to even look at her," Alicia half laughed, half sobbed.

"Well, she's perfect," Art added, running a comforting hand through her sweat drenched hair.

"And all yours," the nurse cut in, laying the sweet bundle into Alicia's waiting arms.

"Oh my God, she...," the words died in her throat and the floodgates opened. Art gingerly slipped onto the edge of the bed. He wrapped his strong arms around his wife and held her as she sobbed into his chest until she shuttered, hiccuped, sniffled, and...laughed? He glanced down at Alicia just as looked up at him, eyes twinkling and grin spreading from ear to ear, "...she looks just like Artie."

_4:01am April 28, 2002  
_

"Sweetie, it's time for you to turn over."

"Grandma?" Artie called out groggily.

Kathleen smiled, in awe of how he'd slept through both times his alarm went off. The incessant beeping was suppose to alert him it was time to shift position, but it was her soft whisper that ended up waking him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Daddy had to take Mommy to the hospital," she answered as he gently pulled his comforter down off of him.

"The baby's coming?" he gasped, a little more awake than he was a second ago.

"She here," Kathleen whispered joyously, then got right back down to business. "Would you like to lay on your back, or other side?"

"Other side," he replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "She's really here?"

Kathleen let out a soft chuckle as she helped Artie get situated per Alicia's detailed instructions. "12:02 this morning. 8 pounds 14 ounces, 22 inches long. Mom's doing fine too."

"What time is it now?" he asked, unable to see the clock with his back to the nightstand.

"A little after four," Kathleen answered, mildly aware of where this line of questioning was going. "You get some more sleep, and we'll all go see them in the morning."

"Okay," he giggled in resignation, or was it from the kiss she'd placed on his temple?

Kathleen turned around when she got to the doorway. Even with just the soft glow of his nightlight, she could see he was grinning from ear to ear. Artie let out a contented sigh, as he snuggled his head into his pillow and whispered to himself, "I knew she'd be born today."


	31. Chapter 31

_**An authors note...**__**Thank you all so much for the amazing response to the last chapter...much love:D Because of length due to my runaway muse, I had to split this chapter up. I apologize to all those looking forward to Artie finally meeting his little sister...that will have to wait just a tiny bit longer. I won't however, apologize for this chapter turning into loads of pure Artie adorableness;) I expect to get the second half up by the weekend, and hope in the mean time, this doesn't disappoint too much. As always, please let me know what you think.  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

"Gramma, can I have more orange juice?"

"Sure Honey...Tom, can you pour it for him?"

"I can pour it fine...," Artie grinned at his grandmother, "I just can't reach it."

"Is there anymore chocolate ones?"

"Andy, you need to finish your eggs before you get _another_ doughnut," Kathleen returned pointedly.

"Morning everybody," Art's tired but boisterous voice called through the controlled chaos that was breakfast time at the Abrams.

"DAD," Artie shouted excitedly from his place at the table. "Why are you home? Is Mom okay...and the baby?"

"Everyone is fine Ace," Art assured him, letting out a small chuckle of amusement as he walked the rest of the way into the kitchen. "They were both sleeping when I left."

He exchanged a congratulatory handshake hug combination with Tom and received and exuberant squeeze from a teary eyed Kathleen. "My baby's okay?" she asked softly before letting him go.

"She's amazing," Art whispered back, still awestruck from the strength of his wife, and his daughters very quick arrival. "How did they do?" he asked a beat later, his gaze landing on his boys.

Kathleen smiled. "They were great," she confirmed earnestly. "Artie was still a little groggy when I woke him up to shift at four, but woke up completely alert around seven. Took care of everything himself this morning...even got dressed on his own without asking for any help."

"Yeah, he's getting to be pretty independent," Art concurred, beaming proudly as he shot a sideways glance at his little boy...who was currently laughing at something Grandpa Tom had just whispered to him.

Kathleen's expression matched her son-in-law's as she added playfully, "And Andy didn't even know what was going on until the smell of eggs and sausage woke him up about twenty minutes ago."

Art's gaze shifted to his younger son...sitting dazed and picking at his scrambled eggs. Artie's voice rang out again, "Dad, can we go see them now?"

The elder Abrams let out a hearty chuckle this time. "Well I still need to eat breakfast and take a shower..."

"Ooh, can we bring Mom some food?" Artie cut in askance.

"Of course we can," his father replied with a wink...quite aware of his son's strong disdain for hospital food. "But it'll probably be closer to lunch by then...visiting hours don't actually start for a few more hours yet."

Artie tried hard not to show the disappointment he was feeling. Instead, he focused his attention on getting all of the information he could. He had already memorized the stats from his sisters birth...12:02am...April 28, 2002...8lbs 14oz...22 inches...

"What does she look like?"

Art grinned at the buoyant tone of his son's voice. "Well, she's beautiful...just like Mom...," he started out, his smile widening to almost as big as Artie's, as he took a seat at the table and pulled open the video bag. "Would you like to see a picture?"

"You have pictures?"

The query was barely gasp. Artie's eyes had gone as big as saucers and his mouth opened so wide, that Art almost feared the boy had forgotten how to breath. "And video," he added, playfully tempting his overly anxious son with both cameras.

"Let's see...let's see...," Artie chanted, bouncing slightly.

Art beckoned Andy over, and reluctantly the boy obliged, followed by his very eager grandparents. He made sure to fast forward the birth to right as the baby emerged. Even though the angle was shot from the head of the bed, the boys didn't need to see...or hear...any specifics of that particular process.

"WOW," Artie gasped in amazement as he watched the doctor lift his wailing baby sister from behind the blue paper sheets and place her on his mothers stomach.

"Eww, that's gross," Andy balked in protest.

"How do you think we were born?" Artie asked his brother pointedly.

"No...she's all slimy," the younger boy countered, grimacing as he pushed his face farther into his Grandmother's side.

Outbursts stifled, the group continued to watch the short video of the baby getting cleaned up and measured after birth.

"Dad, can we _please_ leave soon?," Artie inquired, almost to the point of pleading. "I need to go somewhere before we get to the hospital."

Art regarded his son for a moment...he had a pretty good idea what Artie meant by that...and grinned. "Okay, let me just take a quick shower and we'll go."

"Art, eat," a concerned Kathleen urged him.

"I had a cup of coffee before I left the hospital, and a snack earlier," he countered appreciatively, and smiled at his mother-in-law as he rose to his feet. "If you wouldn't mind packing up the rest, we can take it to Alicia...I'll eat with her there."

Kathleen's heart swelled...she'd always known her daughter had chosen the right one.

Artie hadn't noticed that his father had left the room...he was too busy scrolling through the numerous pictures in the photo gallery if his mothers new, top of the line, digital camera. Which he continued to do happily, until there was a particularly disturbing photo of his baby sister wailing while a nurse applied some thick goopy ointment to her eyes. Artie was not amused...and he was just about to ask Art...

"Where's Dad?"

Kathleen looked up from the container she was packing and smiled. "Upstairs taking a shower...you told him to hurry, remember?"

Her words were light and playful, but Artie still blushed from embarrassment. "Oh yeah," he muttered sheepishly...though he quickly got over it. "I've gotta get ready too."

"But Honey, you're already dressed," Kathleen pointed out the obvious, "and Mom already had your bag pack with everything you would need while she's gone."

"I know," Artie returned with a nod, "I just have to get my..." His words trailed off and he paused a moment to consider his options. Shifting his gaze, it came to him, and he glanced up to flash that killer smile of his, "Grandpa, can you help get something from my room?"

Tom grinned back..._Now how could he say no to that_?

...

They had already made two stops to pick up the gifts Artie wanted to get Alicia, when he asked to stop "just one more time."

"Why here Ace?"

"Well I have to bring the baby something too," the little boy replied innocently at his father, as they waited for the ramp to lower to the ground. "I wanted to wait until after the baby shower in case someone else got it for her...not that anyone else would think to get _that_ for her..."

"Okay...," Art started out, but was immediately cut off by Artie's concern.

"I hope they still have it..."

"I'm sure they will Kiddo," Art replied reassuringly, "...and if they don't, you can always get her something else..."

But there wasn't anything else, at least not in his book. This was the perfect gift and it just needed to be there...Artie held his breath until they reached the end of that particular aisle. He scanned the pegs until he found what he was looking for and declared, "That's the one."

Art looked up and smiled at what Artie's finger was pointing to. "This one?," he repeated, just for the joy of watching his son nod so enthusiastically.

With a soft chuckle, Art slipped the item from it's peg and handed it to Artie. "Perfect choice Ace," he commented, clapping him on the shoulder. The boy fingered the soft fabric for a moment, then placed it on his thigh and beamed up at his father...It definitely was.


	32. Chapter 32

_**An authors note...**__**Thanks so much to those of you who read and reviewed the last chapter, I appreciate your input greatly. I absolutely loved writing this chapter and am so glad I made it, it's own. I hope this pleases all of you who have been anxiously waiting for Artie to finally meet his baby sister. Enjoy!  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

"He went home to pick up our boys...they should be here any minute," Alicia replied in response to a question the nurse had asked her as she exchanged the thermometer probe for the blood pressure cuff.

Lisa, the nurse, noticed how the seasoned mother smiled when she mentioned her other children...and she couldn't help but do the same. "How old are they?"

Alicia's grin widened even further. "Artie, my oldest, is turning nine in about three weeks, and my young...," she paused, catching herself before the word 'youngest' could leave her mouth. No, Andy was not the youngest anymore...her currently unnamed daughter held that title now.

Wow, daughter...that was going to take some getting used to.

Alicia's loving gaze drifted from the pink bundle nestled in the bassinet to her right, back to the nurse. "And Andy, my younger son, is almost six and a half."

"Sounds like she'll be well looked after with _two_, much bigger, brothers to come home to," Lisa quipped softly, but playfully, as she gently pressed her stethoscope to the sleeping baby's chest.

"She sure will," Alicia concurred, beaming proudly. She was just about to add something to that thought, when noise from down the hall, caught her attention. There was a brief time, just a few short months ago, when the distinct clatter of Artie's chair caused her heart to clench painfully in her chest. Now it was a welcomed sound, and made her stomach leap with elation.

"Hey guys," she called out in greeting, before they were even completely through the doorway.

"MOM," Artie squealed with delight, much like he did a few hours ago, when his father walked into the kitchen, and took off across the room.

"Hi Sweetie," Alicia returned, smiling from ear to ear as she gingerly slipped off of the bed. Shuffling toward her family, she couldn't help but catch the slightly sympathetic glance Lisa had given her...one that had nothing to do with the postpartum pain her patient was obviously in. Alicia briefly wondered when people would stop looking at Artie in a negative or pitying way when they first saw him...or if they ever would...

The boy however, hadn't noticed the exchange, he was too busy watching his mother with wide, concerned eyes. "Are you okay Mom?"

"I'm fine Sweetie," she assured, cupping his cheek in her hand and smiling down at him, "...just a little sore."

Both boys looked more than a little skeptical. In fact, Andy looked downright miserable. Alicia knew he wasn't the biggest fan of hospitals, but he also seemed to be...she couldn't quite put her finger on...despondent, maybe...and was still clinging tightly to Kathleen. "Come here...I missed you two," she forced out...the words, not the sentiment behind them, and waved them over.

Artie didn't have to be asked twice, and was carefully wrapping his arms around his mother's still tender midsection, in less than a second. Andy was a little more reluctant, but soon joined in on the group hug as well.

"We got you these," Artie announced sheepishly, breaking the lingering embrace when he realized there was still a bouquet of flowers sitting in his lap.

"Oh my goodness," Alicia gasped, tears filling her eyes as she accepted the arrangement of a dozen fragrant pink roses with baby's breath, "they're so beautiful." She honestly hadn't noticed them before, either.

Another hug was commissioned. "Artie wanted to buy the baby her own bouquet, but I told him one was probably enough," Art intoned playfully, winking at their thoughtful son.

Alicia's already emotional expression, softened even more. "Thank you Sweetheart."

"Andy picked out some chocolates for you," he countered, trying to take some of the emphasis off of himself, as he motioned for his brother to get the box of candies their Grandmother was carrying.

Alicia graciously accepted the gift, but had to bite back a chuckle when she noticed they were actually Andy's favorite and not her own. She held her arms out to welcome them again and absolutely beamed. "I have the best kids on the entire planet."

Lisa, who had been lingering in the corner, witness the entire exchange, and smiled. "I'll get you a container with water," she muttered softly, just now making herself known. She didn't want to disturb the special family moment while it was taking place.

Alicia gave a small nod and smiled appreciatively as the nurse past.

"Mom, is that..._her_?"

She glanced over to where Artie's gaze had landed, the spot that Lisa had just vacated, and the bassinet that stood in it's place. Her smiled widened reflexively. "Would you like to see her?"

Artie looked like he was he was about to jump right out of his skin, he was so excited. With an enthusiastic nod, he pushed off, following his mother over to the bassinet.

The contraption was actually a glorified cart...stainless steel wheeled frame, equipped with storage shelves on the bottom for diapers, bottles and blankets, and a clear plexiglass basket on top, that held the sleeping child.

Barely eye level with the basket, Artie was disappointed to find the image he was getting of his sister, was blurry. He carefully reached his small hand out to the lip of the basket and stretched to peer inside. Alicia could tell immediately by the impossibly wide grin on his face, that he'd succeeded. "Andy, would you like to take a look?" she beckoned her younger son, who took three tentative steps forward, then stopped and glanced quickly at the baby.

"I have something for her too," Artie announced, twisting to reach the present he'd stashed in his backpack. He beamed up at his mother as he handed her the small pink gift bag he'd recycled from the stack they had acquired from her baby shower. But after a quick glance over at Andy, standing quietly and staring at the floor, Artie amended his previous statement, "Um, it can be from both of us..."

Her curiosity piqued, Alicia removed the tissue paper and pulled out a pink, terrycloth feeder bib, much too big for the newborn to use right now. However, that wasn't what made her breath catch in her throat, or her eyes fill up with tears again.

Alicia shot a tender glance at Artie before taking one more look down at the item in her hand. "My big brother loves me," she read the script aloud, then turned the bib around and held it against her chest, for everyone to see. The thoughtfulness of this act was so touching, Alicia rushed over to kiss both boys on the head, first Artie, then Andy...

"You didn't let him use his own money to buy all of this?" Alicia whispered once she made her way over to Art.

"He insisted," the elder Abrams returned, flashing his wife a pointed smirk before snaking his arm around her waist and planting a soft kiss to her temple. "But I'll put the money for the flowers and candy back into his piggy bank, as soon as we get home."

Alicia let her head fall back onto Art's shoulder, smiling wider when she noticed Artie stretching up to look at the baby again. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Oh yeah," he replied beaming, but his that quickly faltered. "I have to wash my hands first," he added, his eyes darting from the bathroom on the other side of the room, to the rims of his chair, then back at his mother, and finally down at his lap.

Alicia handed him an antibacterial wipe from the container in the cart, followed by a small bottle of hand sanitizer and smiled. "I think that should do the trick," she quipped playfully before reaching out to pick up her daughter.

Artie's eyes sparkled and his smile absolutely covered his face, as his mother gently lowered the baby into his awaiting arms. He let out a soft giggle at the gurgle/grunt his baby sister made, trying to get comfortable. "Woah."

"What do you think Ace?" Art asked his son playfully.

Artie looked like he was on cloud nine. "She's awesome," he answered instantly, then giggled again and amended slightly, "...really pretty."

"That she is," Art concurred proudly. "But I was kind of wondering about the name...that was your job wasn't it?" Artie's enthusiastic nod made Art grin. "And Mom and I are getting a little tired of calling her baby girl..."

Without missing a beat, Artie replied, "Abbigayle...she's definitely an Abbey."

"I think so too," Alicia choked out emotionally. That was by far her favorite of the names he'd picked out.

"Can we spell it that pretty way you showed me Mom?" he asked, just a beat later.

"Any way you want Sweetie," she returned, chuckling slightly through her tears.

Artie beamed again, then looked down to see something astonishing. "Look, she's trying to open her eyes." Both parents nodded, and laughed softly at his reaction...something close to finding buried treasure.

"She must recognize your voice," Alicia stated, practically melting from the sweet exchange. Relief settled over her when she noticed her father was capturing everything on video and her mother was snapping candids. "Andy, would you like a turn?" she regarded her younger son, but was met with only a silent shake of the head.

Artie couldn't hide his delight at his brothers reluctance, or the fact that his sisters eyes were blue...just like his.

Alicia's smile widened when he commented about that. She kept the knowledge that most Caucasian babies were born with light hued eyes, to herself...but made sure to point out the obvious, save for the blond hair,..."She looks just like you too."

Artie stared down at the sweet little baby in his arms, unable to take his eyes off of her.

"What have you picked for her middle name?" Art pressed, returning to the previous, and slightly unfinished, discussion.

"Hope." The little boy broke contact just long enough to add, "Because that's what she is."

The gasp from his mother that followed, along with the tears from all of the adults in the room, were all happy ones. Big blue eyes locked again with tiny identical replicas...

"Hi Abbigayle Hope...I'm your big brother Artie."


	33. Chapter 33

_**An authors note...**__**The response to the last chapter was overwhelming and such a honor. I really love writing this piece and to know that there are people out there enjoying it, means the world to me. Thank you all so very much. This chapter is meant to be a bridging chapter for what is to come...a glimpse into how immediately Artie and Abbey's bond forms. We'll explore the building of that bond in future chapters. Enjoy!  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

Alicia's eyes immediately teared up, the sight before her, too touching for words. "Why don't you sit down and rest," Art suggested, whispering the request in her ear.

Nodding, Alicia wiped the moisture from her eyes and smiled, then lowered herself back down onto her bed.

Artie noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced up. He frowned when he saw his mother make another painful grimace**_. _**"We brought you some food Mom, if you're hungry," he stated, making sure his voice was soft enough to not disturb the baby. "Grandma made scrambled eggs."

"That sounds delicious Sweetie...thank you," Alicia replied, acknowledging Artie first before taking the small cooler Art was offering her.

"You can eat now too Dad," Artie made sure to add as he glanced between his parents and sister, "I got her."

Alicia couldn't help the huge grin of pride that was spreading across her face...he was already so good with her. A quick glance to her left, over to where Andy was sitting, and that smile faltered slightly. She was becoming increasingly concerned with her youngest son's reaction...or lack thereof...to his baby sister.

Alicia was just about to call over to Andy, when a slight shriek of protest came from the foot of the bed. "No Grandma, she's okay," Artie could be heard saying.

"Don't worry, I'm not taking her from you," Kathleen assured him, ending with a playful giggle. She flashed Alicia a knowing smile, then reached behind Artie to grab one of the extra pillows sitting on the chair in the corner. "Here, lift her up a bit," grandma instructed, and waited for grandson to do what he was told, before tucking the pillow under his arm. "That a little better?"

Artie shifted first to get comfortable, then grinned, nodded...and looked down in awe, once more.

...

It wasn't long before Art and Alicia were both done with their breakfast turned late afternoon snack, and Abbey became restless in her brothers arms.

"I think someone might be getting hungry," Alicia commented at the baby's next gurgle, and gingerly slipped back off of her bed. Artie tried to hide his disappointment as waited for his mother to take Abbey from him. "Not to mention, is in desperate need of a diaper change," she quipped a beat later, as soon as her hand came to rest on the bottom of the baby.

"I'll change her," Artie volunteered eagerly, "You can teach me how Mom."

Alicia couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, but it waned slightly after sharing a glance with Art. "Changing newborns is a little tricky, Ace," he pointed out as gently as he could.

Artie's expression turned puzzled and he looked over at his mother for clarification. "They tend to make more dirty diapers than they do just wet ones," she explained casually, then paused for a moment to correctly choose her wording. "And their first few diapers are even more...difficult...to change." The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint him, but from the frown he was sporting, it was obvious she had. "You can start helping me as soon as I get home tomorrow..."

"You're not coming home with us?"

It was Andy who'd asked the question...the first words he'd uttered all afternoon...and it took everyone in the room by surprise, especially Artie.

Alicia stepped over to her little boy and cupped his cheek with her hand. "No Sweetie, not today...we have to stay just one more night," she replied tenderly.

"But who's going to take care of us then?"

The second plea came from behind, and sounded markedly more desperate than the first. Alicia turned around slowly and was immediately met with Artie's imploring gaze. But before she could respond...

"Grandpa and I will stay with you boys again tonight," Kathleen cut in offering, and smiled between her two grandsons. Andy seemed relatively indifferent to the news, while Artie looked absolutely petrified.

Alicia could always read her son like a book, and this time was no different. She knew Artie was worried about either of his grandparents, or anyone besides her and occasionally his father, having to help him with his nightly bathroom routine. "Daddy will be home with you guys," Alicia reassured both of her sons...but mostly Artie.

"Honey, I told you Dad and I don't mind," Kathleen regarded her daughter.

"I know Mom, and thanks," she replied, smiling appreciatively at the older woman, before pointedly looking over at her husband, "but Art needs to be home with the boys. Abbey and I will be fine for one night." Alicia glanced from the bundle in her arms, to Artie, and her smile widened encouragingly when he let out a soft sigh of relief.

Taking a seat in the vinyl covered reclining chair between him and her bed, Alicia then turned to Artie exclusively. "What do you say I get this baby changed?" The question was obviously rhetorical, so she didn't wait for an answer, just matched Artie's soft grin with one of her own. "That way she could eat...and you can learn how to burp her?"

The beaming smile that followed, lit up the room.


	34. Chapter 34

_**An authors note...**__**with each passing chapter, my appreciation for you readers, grows stronger(if that's at all possible;). Little building chapter to set up what is to come, and fun mix of cuteness and angst and sweetness and angst and...angst...(but I know you all secretly love it;)  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

"Art, I'm not sure if this is a good idea," Alicia confessed, glancing up from the diaper bag she was packing.

"She'll be two weeks old tomorrow...Artie was less than two, the first time we took him out," he reasoned casually.

Alicia couldn't help but force a smile at the recollection of showing off a newborn Artie at the family's annual Memorial day barbeque when he was just twelve days old. Though the memory only made their present situation that much harder to deal with, and she let out a shuttering sigh. "I was actually_ talking_ about Artie," she corrected, putting off the packing in favor of pacing.

"I don't know if he's ready."

Art pulled a frown of skepticism. "It's a soccer game Leesh...Andy's."

"Exactly," she balked and turned to face him, her eyes pleading, "a game he loved more than anything, that his brother can play, but he can't anymore."

Art's expression immediately softened. He was thinking on a completely different level. Wrapping a strong arm around Alicia's shoulders, he pulled her to his chest. "Babe, it's inevitable...there will always be things out there that he can't do anymore. But that doesn't mean he has to avoid them. Didn't his psychologist say that was unhealthy?"

Alicia nodded somberly, so Art gave her an encouraging squeeze. "But he loved it so much," she started, then pause to swallow down her emotion. "I just don't want him to be sad."

"Neither do I," Art concurred, kissing the top of her head. "But it's Andy's first game of the season and he really wants his Mom there...besides, Artie said he wanted to go..."

"I know," Alicia whispered, nodding for a second time into Art's embrace, before walking with him out of the room.

...

The sight unfolding before anyone stepping into the Abrams living room during downtime, or on the weekend, or really anytime that wasn't bedtime, or school hours...was nothing less than precious.

Chin resting atop folded arms, perched on the side of the cradle, eyes glued to the sleeping bundle inside. "I think she's waking up," Artie whispered, breaking his gaze long enough to glance over his shoulder at his parents. "She yawned a minute ago," he added, smiling wide, "and and now she's starting to stretch."

Alicia's own happiness broke through at the small giggle heard coming from her son. "Mom, look...," he called, waving her over. "Is _that_ a smile?"

"I think it might be," she concurred playfully.

Artie's eyes sparkled. "We need to write that down," he implored fervently.

His excitement was infectious and Alica couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. She also didn't have the heart to tell him that newborns responses were mostly reflexive. "I think the first _actual_ smile is considered to be when the baby is awake," she gently reasoned.

"Well she's almost awake," Artie countered innocently, "...so this is her first _almost_ smile?"

Alicia let out a hearty laugh this time and reached out to tenderly cup her son's cheek. "Okay. Why don't you go write that on the calendar then, and I'll change her diaper?"

"Okay," Artie beamed, as he turned his chair and took off in the direction of the kitchen.

It didn't take long for Alicia to freshen up the baby, or for Artie to return. "I'm ready," he announced, pushing back into the room with his backpack on his lap. "I already used the bathroom, and grabbed my bag...it's all packed."

The look of pride she was giving him, paled in comparison to the grin he was giving her. "Are you _really_ sure you want to go Sweetie?"

Artie's smile faltered slightly. "Well you and Abbey are still going, right?" At his query, Alicia nodded, and it returned. "Then yeah, I wanna go to."

Even though he looked happy, a sudden pang of guilt hit her, and she felt like she was somehow forcing him.

"We all set?" Art called out from the entryway, with Andy in tow, decked out in the soccer uniform that used to be Artie's.

Her heart conflicted, Alicia looked between her sons and wondered how it could simultaneously be bursting with elation for one, and shattering into tiny pieces for the other.

...

Doubt plagued Alicia the entire ride to the field...and frequently common occurrence these days. However, Artie seemed unphased as they pulled into the closest handicapped parking spot to the field Andy was scheduled to play on.

Art began unloading the trunk of the van. First with Abbey's stroller, then the lawn chair for Alicia, followed by the equipment bag and the cooler. He looked down at Artie, then over to Alicia, who had just finished snapping the infant car seat into the top of the stroller, and finally back to the items at his feet, and sighed. "Just let me go hand this stuff over to Coach Jeff, then I'll come back for you...okay Ace?"

"It's fine Dad...I can do it," Artie assured his father, even though he still wasn't particularly confident of his ability to maneuver on unlevel surfaces. Grassy fields were definitely one of those obstacles...but one he was increasingly determined to overcome.

Alicia shared a meaningful glance with Art, after first noticing the contemplative look on her son's face. "I have and idea," she stated, acknowledging them both, but mainly Artie as she lined up the stroller in front of him. "Why don't you push this, and I'll push you?" The young boys face lit up brightly, and he grinned.

"We can be like a train," Artie quipped playfully before reaching up to grasp the handlebar. "Abbey's first, so she's the engine, you're the caboose and I'll be the passenger car...because my lap is the perfect seat to ride on."

Alicia couldn't stop the rumbling chuckle that escaped her lips, nor could Art, as he took off for the field, and they headed over to stake their spots on the sidelines.

Artie pulled right alongside where he'd parked Abbey, leaving Alicia the option of setting up her chair next to either f them. She chose neither, and ended up directly behind them...that way, she could discretely watch Artie interact with the baby...her new favorite pastime...while still keeping an eye on Andy and the game.

"Oh shoot, the diaper bag," Alicia groaned, realizing after glancing over, that she'd left the bag on the grass, right in front of where the van was parked.

Artie looked up at his mother and smirked at the forgetfulness she'd dubbed 'new mommy brain'. But he quickly noticed the slightly conflicted expression she was wearing. "I can watch her," he offered sweetly, then locked his brakes...not only out of habit, but to also emphasize he planned on staying put.

Smiling tenderly at him, Alicia mirrored Artie's actions, only with the brakes on the baby's stroller. "I'll be back in a second, Dad's right there on the field if you need anything," she told him before heading back over to the van...grinning the entire time.

"Alicia?" a voice called out, the minute she bent down to pick up the bag.

"Gina...," she gasped in surprise, "...how are you?

"Great, and you?"

Alicia paused to think about that answer, then realized she didn't have to. "Good...really good," she replied, smile widening as she adjusted the bag to her shoulder.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gina queried, gaze settling on the obvious accessory.

If at all possible, Alicia's grin intensified. "It is," she beamed, patting the bag with her hand. "She'll be two weeks old tomorrow."

"She...weeks...?" Gina squealed with delight. Alicia nodded and happy tears immediately sprang to her eyes. "Congratulations," she added, and held her arms out for a hug. Alicia easily reciprocated the gesture before Gina pulled away, her own eyes dancing with excitement. "I'll have to come see her...too bad we're not playing against one another, we could have spent the hour catching up. What team is Artie on this year?"

The rambled question momentarily caught Alicia off guard...until she processed it, and remembered the park district soccer league encompassed all of Allen County, along with a few of the smaller surrounding areas. Gina and her family didn't even live in Lima. "Oh we're here for Andy...," she began, swallowing the emotion that was slowly building in her throat, and gesturing behind her, with her thumb, "Artie doesn't play..."

"Mom...can you please bring my book? I left it in the van."

Gina's gaze shifted from the boy who had just spoke, to the wheelchair accessible van to her right, and back over to Alicia. The pieces began to fall into place. "Alicia...what..."

"A car accident...last July...," she explained, a little surprised at how easy it was becoming for her to talk about it, and gave Artie a wave of acknowledgement. "We were hit by a drunk diver."

"The whole family?" Gina gasped incredulously.

Alicia shook her head. "Just me and Artie."

"Is he...is it permanent?"

Giving a nod to acknowledge what her head had always known, but her heart was still battling with, Alicia let out a small sigh. "There were three really bad fractures, compression at L1 that shattered 2...but the most severe was an impacted fracture that shifted enough to result in an almost complete transection at T11."

Alicia didn't need to explain any further, Gina was a nurse...neonatal, but still a nurse...she knew exactly what the implications of that diagnosis would be.

"Oh God Alicia, I am so sorry."

The condolement was sincere, without being pitying. "There wasn't anything they could do...anyone of those injuries would have resulted in the same outcome." The words tumbled out naturally and Gina gave a nod of comprehension, even though the reality was still painful to swallow. "He's done exceptionally well though," Alicia was able to continue with the help of an encouraging smile from her friend. "He's strong, he's been very healthy, he's adjusting amazingly well, he's...," there was a slight pause, followed by a genuine grin, "...he's my little hero."

Gina let out a soft sniffle, and before she knew it, Alicia found herself engulfed in another embrace. "Come say hello," she whispered in offering, then broke the hug so she could get the requested book out of the van.

"Hi Mrs. Franco," Artie beamed when he noticed the other woman walking back with his mother. "Did you come to meet my baby sister?"

"Yes," Gina replied, grinning down at the sweet boy, "and to see how you are doing."

"I'm better," he replied casually, then looked up at his mother to let her know, "She was starting to fuss, so I gave her her pacifier." Alicia beamed proudly at him just as Artie began to push back the sun canopy on the stroller, to reveal the more pertinent subject matter. He smiled over at Mrs. Franco and announced, "This is Abbey."

"She's precious," Gina exclaimed, smile widening and eyes darting between the two. "I'm so happy for all of you," she added, just as the whistle blew to announce the start of the game.

"I'd better get back to Anthony's game," Gina cited with a light chuckle. "You guys should come over after you're done here...say hi...I'm sure Anthony would be happy to see you."

Artie tried not to let his apprehension show. The invitation was sincere, but he had difficulty believing the reception would be as genuine.

"That sounds nice," Alicia replied...and it did. She knew her son wanted nothing more than to be accepted by his peers. If they could just see past the chair...

Alicia was still smiling encouragingly at Artie after Gina left and she finally had a chance to sit down with a hungry Abbey cradled in her arms. But it all suddenly came to a screeching halt.

A stray soccer ball rolled toward them, and bounced lightly off the toes of Artie's shoes before coming to rest at his feet. He knew it was stupid_ and_ pointless, but he couldn't stop the command his brain was giving, to just kick it.

After a second that seemed like an eternity, he carefully leaned forward to pick up the ball. Struggling slightly, Artie was eventually able to straighten up fully. Alicia watched with a heavy heart as he tested the weight in his hands before calling out, "Here Dad," and tossing it to his father.

Art did his best to catch it, but the throw fell short. Amid the deafening whispers and snickers, Artie lowered his head, and turned his attention back to the book he had laying open in his lap...where it remained, for the rest of the game.

...

The Abrams never made it to the other soccer field, instead they went home and tried to pretend the awkwardness wasn't there...all except Alicia. She couldn't...couldn't pretend that her decisions, hadn't once again, caused her son pain.

Artie remained silent as his mom helped him take care of his nightly routine. He wasn't sure how to approach her with this, especially since it was obvious that she was distressed. Only as she was tucking him in, did he finally work up enough courage.

"Mom, I think I know what I want for my birthday."

"Really?" she asked, surprised he'd even brought it up. Usually he would just dismiss the subject completely. "Did you change your mind about having a party?"

Artie could see the glimmer of hope in eyes. "No," he replied meekly, eyes cast down at the foot of his bed. "I think I know what I want as my present..." Alicia's brow quirked up curiously. "I want to change my bedroom."

Guilt consumed her once again, and Alicia's face crumpled. "Oh Honey...I knew we shouldn't have made you go to that game," she cried apologetically.

"No Mom, I wanted to...," he countered reassuringly, "...and I still like soccer...a lot." There was a short pause as Artie scanned his memorabilia speckled room one more time. It wasn't long before a tiny smirk began playing at the corners of his lips..."I just think I might be starting to like music a little more..."

Alicia couldn't help but smile at that. She sniffled back the last of the tears that had fallen, "Okay, if that's what you want...tomorrow we'll go to the store and pick out everything new," and promised with a wink.

"But tomorrow's Mother's Day," Artie retorted incredulously.

Smile widening, Alicia tenderly cupped her son's cheek in her hand. "And I can't think of a better way to spend it."

...


	35. Chapter 35

_**An authors note...**__**First I have to thank my readers for being so amazingly awesome:D, then I have to apologize for the minor mistake I made in the last chap regarding Abbey's age..she was supposed to be going on two weeks there, and three weeks in this one(already been edited). So, now that that is done, lets get on with the story...  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

Alicia was determined to finish Artie's room before his birthday, which just happened to fall on the following Sunday. And she did...getting the last of the black music note cutouts applied to his freshly painted light blue walls, at 9:17, Saturday night.

The Abrams usually held their boys birthday parties on the Saturday closest to the actual date, but since Artie's fell on a Sunday, they decided to hold it over for one more day.

"Morning Ace," Art greeted from the doorway, grinning. Artie turned his head in his father's direction and pressed the stop button on the personal cd player he was listening too. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks Dad," the beaming boy replied, shifting into a sitting position, then pulling himself back against the headboard.

"Mom figured you'd be up by now...turns out she was right," Art quipped as he walked into the room. "She's just putting the finishing touches on your surprise birthday breakfast," he added with a teasing wink.

"I know," Artie returned excitedly, "I can smell it."

Art let out a soft chuckle, and seated himself on the edge of the bed. "So, does it feel any different being nine?"

Artie shook his head, but also gave a playful shrug. "No, not really."

"I know, it never did for me either," his father continued to joke. "But maybe it will when you get downstairs and see what Mom has waiting for you."

Artie's eyes widened with anticipation as he pushed the bed covers off of himself. Art fought back the urge to jump up and help when Artie began to maneuver his legs over the edge of the bed. It quickly became clear that no assistance would be needed, so he watched with great admiration and pride, as his not so little, little boy, both effortlessly and skillfully, transferred himself to his chair.

"Need a hand in the bathroom?" Art asked, just as Artie had finished arranging his feet on the footrest.

The boy looked up at his father and smiled, completely unaware that he'd just been subject of such scrutiny. "No, I got it."

It was the answer Art had expected. He, or more typically, Alicia, would either wait in the hall, or Artie's room...somewhere close by...for the rare occasion he would encounter a problem and call for them. Smiling back at his son, Art gave a small shrug. "How about I get your clothes ready for..."

"Already did that last night," Artie interjected, his grin widening as he motioned over to where he had laid his outfit for the day, on the chest at the foot of his bed.

Art raised a playful brow, but then at second glance, frowned a bit. "It's gonna be warm today Kiddo...up around eighty," he began, recalling the warnings they were given about the dangers of Artie overheating. "The shirt's great, but I think you might want to swap these out for shorts."

Artie pivoted to look up at his father. "Um, okay," he muttered hesitantly, still slightly self conscious of everything, including the very visible large scar above his right knee from where a piece of window glass was imbedded. "Mom didn't move out any of my spring clothes yet," he added softly, and after another moments contemplation, said, "I think shorts are still in the top drawer."

Art nodded, walking over to the tall dresser against the opposite wall. He pulled out a stack, and rifled through them, remembering to avoid the snug fitting denim, or rough, heavily seamed fabric. And then it hit him...Artie hadn't worn these items since last summer...before the accident...before they had to worry about any of this. "Here's a pair of khaki and a navy with elastic waistband," he finally announced, holding the best choices up, one in each hand.

Artie pondered his options, finally settling on the khaki pair because they were a little dressier and they went better with the colors on his striped polo shirt...even if they were going to be a bit harder to actually get on. But on the plus side, they were also almost an inch longer in length than the other, and would at least cover up the majority of what needed to be covered. "I'll wear those."

"Good choice," Art replied grinning, and was about to hand the shorts over, when he paused and placed them on the bed instead...his stomach grumbling with anticipation, as if on cue. "But maybe we should go enjoy that delicious smelling breakfast first...and then get dressed?"

...

Mid afternoon brought the arrival of the immediate family members. Art's parents, his sister, her husband and two kids, as well as Alicia's entire brood of parents, siblings, spouses, nieces, nephews and Kathleen's Mom, or Nana, as everyone referred to her as...were all gathered in the backyard.

While baby Abbey was otherwise occupied, being passed around to just about any and everyone, Artie made himself busy by entertaining almost two year old Emma, with the help of Jess, his oldest cousin from his Dad's side...and a giant bottle of bubbles.

The smell of burgers and hot dogs cooking on the grill, as well as the sounds of casual conversation and laughter, were drifting through the air.

"Hey there neighbors."

Alicia turned her head toward the familiar voice. "Sarah, Melanie...hi." She tried not to sound too surprised to see her two closest neighbors, and their respective families, hovering on the other side of her fence.

Art rushed over, grinning as he opened the gate for them. "Come on in guys...glad you could make it on such short notice," he greeted, before glancing over at a curious looking Alicia. "I didn't think you'd mind...and it's not like we don't have enough food..."

His words trailed off at the slight shrug and forced smile Alicia was giving. "Sure, of course," she welcomed them genuinely, but only after first throwing a cautious glance at Artie. He'd seemed so adamant about not having a kids party, she'd never thought to invite his friends to his family party...but evidently, Art had.

"We didn't know what to get get him, so we went in on something," Sarah whispered to Alicia, speaking for both her family, and the Lynch's. "It's just a gift card..."

"Oh, that's fine," Alicia interjected, not really knowing what else to say. Her mind was still reeling from their surprise arrival. "But you really didn't have to get him anything..."

The statement was cut short by a gripping embrace. And though the hug didn't last very long, it was sincere, and full of emotion. "Happy birthday Artie," Sarah stated, turning to him after first releasing his mother, and handed over the envelope she was holding.

Still completely appalled by her son Jeremy's rude behavior toward Artie at his own birthday party, just two months prior, Sarah was determined to find a way to somehow make that up to the boy...maybe today would be her chance.

"Thank you Mrs. Brady," he returned politely, his eyes conveying that he didn't hold any animosity toward her, or her son...not even when Jeremy barely even mumbled a greeting to him...but instead, ran off to join Andy and the other boys.

...

Artie lingered close to his mother throughout dinner, and after. She was currently giving a tour of the improvements made to the backyard, as well as explaining the projects that were currently in progress.

"We were so lucky," Alicia continued casually, "Art's friend, the contractor who renovated the front and inside of the house, was able to reuse the timber from the smaller deck we had, to construct the new one. They used most of it for the ramp."

"And that's where the pool is going," Artie piped in and pointed over to the roped off area his father and grandparents were standing around.

Alicia beamed at him. "My in-laws really wanted to do something special for the entire family," she went on to explain, glancing over at what was soon to be her concrete patio, "but also wanted to make sure it was something Artie could really benefit from."

"How exciting?" Sarah exclaimed, smiling between mother and son.

Artie nodded enthusiastically. "I really love swimming."

"At first the water as just a part of his therapy routine, but now they're actually teaching him how to swim," Alicia added, her proud grin widening. "And it's going to be such a great thing for him to be able to continue that at home."

"The pool is the best thing about Physio," Artie quipped, shrugging indifferently, "...all the other stuff, isn't so much fun."

The air turned around them turned slightly awkward for everyone...except Alicia, who was still smiling lovingly at her son.

"Well, with a pool like this, you're going to end up being the most popular kid on the block, Artie," Melanie Lynch playfully teased. "Everyone is going to want to come over here to play."

It was a completely innocent remark, but one that made something deep within both Sarah and Alicia, twist painfully. Sarah, because she had seen, first hand, the disregard her son and Melanie's, now had for their former friend. And for Alicia, because she wanted her son to be liked for the person he was, not the possessions that he had.

Artie smiled up at her, out of politeness, before making his way over to the ramp to follow them down.

"Why wait for the pool?" a soft voice called out from below. His Dad's. "Your friends are here now, Kiddo...go play."

Artie glanced from Art, to the group of mostly boys, playing tag around the tree at the far end of the yard, and shrugged. "They don't want to play with me Dad," he whispered softly.

Thinking his son just needed a simple nudge of encouragement to join in the fun, Art smiled and nodded. "Of course they do, Ace...they wouldn't be here if they didn't..."

"They're only here because their parents made them come," he muttered as he coasted to a stop at the bottom of the ramp. "They wouldn't have come otherwise."

Taken aback by this revelation, Art wondered if this was part of the reason Artie didn't want a kids party to begin with...he didn't think anyone would have showed up.

"Hey Artie, where are you going?" cousin Jess called out sweetly.

The little boy glanced over his shoulder and pulled a dismissive shrug, but she skipped down the ramp just the same.

"Why don't you show Jess how good you're getting on those monkey bars?" Art suggested, after first clearing the building emotion from his throat. He wasn't about to pressure his son into playing with those kids anymore.

"Yeah," Jess implored, when she noticed her cousins slight reluctance to his fathers request.

"He's a pro now," Art went on, volunteering the information proudly...if not a little boastfully, "...working on getting all the way across without stopping."

Artie blushed. He'd been trying to use the arm strength he built, for something other than necessity...and monkey bars were fun...

Jess didn't wait for a response from Artie, just took hold of the handles to his chair, and guided him across the lawn. She smiled as she watched her cousin slip on the small black fingerless gloves she'd seen him wear from time to time, then lift his arms for the boost he knew was coming from his dad.

"Hey Art...up for a game of horseshoes?"

All heads turned to the other end of the yard, where Steve, Jess' dad, had just called from. But when Art turned back, he noticed Artie was only on the third rung.

"Go ahead Uncle Art...I'll help him down," Jess offered happily.

"Are you sure?" Art asked, a little reluctant to leave, even though he trusted his very responsible niece. Jess nodded emphatically, and Artie seemed fine with the arrangement, if the wide grin on his face was any indication. "Just make sure to re-lock the brakes if you move his chair for any reason...it'll roll away if you don't."

Artie giggled a little at his fathers joke, then continued on. He quickly noticed his feat was gaining the attention of the other kids, and they looked on, intrigued...and maybe even a little impressed. Artie saw this as his chance to show them that he could still be like every other boy...

And then he felt Jess' arms wrap around his torso. "Great job Artie." He'd made it all the way across by himself, but still needed someone to carry him back to his chair.

Their eyes were still wide, but gone was that look of awe...replaced by questioning gazes and a pointed finger. "What's _that_?"

Artie didn't have to look down to know what little Nate Brady was referring to, nor did he have to look up to find Jess was as equally mortified as he was. He'd heard it in her voice when she muttered, "Oh Artie, I'm sorry..."

"That's his catheter bag. It's how he has to go to the bathroom now."

_"Andy."_

"I thought he had to wear a diaper_..."  
_

"He would if he didn't have this...'cause he can't even feel when he has to go anymore..."

_"Andy!"_

Jess' shrill voice startled everyone, including Artie, who snapped out of his shocked reverie, and took off for the house.

"Artie, wait..." Jess called out after him, but it was to no avail. She ran after him, and made up some ground crossing the lawn, but Artie still made it up the ramp and into the house before she could catch him.

"Honey, what...?" Alicia began to ask, but he breezed past her, so she turned to her breathless niece. "What happened Jess?"

"I'm sorry Aunt Alicia," she started out with an apology. "I was helping him down from the monkey bars, but I guess I wasn't holding him the right way, and his shorts rode up and everyone saw...his bag."

The last two words were barely a whisper, but still caused Alicia to let out a soft groan and shake her head in disbelief.

"No one...said anything to him...did they?" Sarah Brady asked, her own voice muted and cracking with emotion.

"Well, not really," Jess replied regretfully, even though her answer was meant to be somewhat positive, "...just Andy..."

"Oh God," Alicia groaned again as her eyes flew open and remained wide. She knew her youngest son was anything but discrete.

"I'm really sorry..."

"This isn't your fault Jess," Alicia reassured the distraught teen, then let out a calming sigh, and turned to the closest adult to her, Art's sister. "Jayne?" she called, motioning down to the sleeping baby cradled in her arms, before quickly passing Abbey off to her Aunt.

"Artie?" Alicia called as she rushed through the kitchen and into the foyer. "Honey, where are...oh, Baby..."

The sight of him half flopped on the couch in the living room, sobbing into the pillow, broke her heart. "They saw it Mom," he cried, and that just shattered those pieces into a million tiny bits.

"I know, Sweetie," she cooed, crossing the distance between them in only a few steps. Alicia sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around his trembling frame. "It's okay..."

"No it's not," he shot back, sniffling. "They know."

Alicia's chest clenched tightly at the pained crack his soft voice made. She gently lifted his shoulders and pulled him back so he was sitting up next to her. Artie immediately snuggled against her side and buried his damp face into her chest.

She thought she'd done everything to protect him that day...made sure he was dressed appropriately, drank enough, ate right, stayed cool, had extra sunscreen applied to his legs so they wouldn't burn from the sun he couldn't feel...

This scenario never played out in her mind.

"Maybe it's better this way," Alicia stated softly, causing Artie to gaze up at her with imploring eyes. "Now they can't assume..."

"Eric thought I wore diapers," he cut in a whisper, then immediately lowered his head in embarrassment.

"And now he knows that you don't," she returned gently, but could see that Artie's mind was still dwelling on the plastic backed pad that protected his mattress from accidents and the package of adolescent sized diapers under the bathroom cabinet, for use in case of those very emergencies.

"Honey?" she called, lifting his chin back up with her fingers. "I know this stuff makes you uncomfortable, but you have nothing to be ashamed about." Alicia could tell Artie was fighting to look away. "Just because you have to do things a little differently, doesn't mean they're wrong or bad...just different." He locked eyes with her, and gave and almost imperceptible nod. Alicia smiled lovingly at him, before adding, "And if people can't see that, or accept you because of it...then maybe they're not worth being friends with."

Artie's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Sorry," Jess called out softly from the doorway, Abbey fussing just now being heard over their discussion. "No one can seem to get her to calm down."

Alicia flashed her niece an appreciative, but slightly apologetic smile, when she noticed she still had the tiny pink pacifier clipped to the front of her shirt, and not on the baby's blanket, where it should have been. She took Abbey into her arms, but paused before offering the soothing device.

"Artie, would you take care of your sister for a few minutes while I get your cake ready?" Alicia asked, gently bouncing the slightly fussy baby. "It's almost time to sing happy Happy Birthday."

It was obvious that he was still a little reluctant to go back out there and face everyone, but Alicia was intent on not letting anything ruin her son's special day.

Artie nodded and shifted back into his chair...after first arranging his feet on the footrest and pulling off his scratchy black gloves. Alicia smiled as she handed the baby over to her eagerly awaiting brother, but absolutely beamed when Abbey snuggled close...and quieted down almost immediately.

...

**_ANx2...took forever, but finally got it done. This one's for you, Megan:D...longest one EVER Yo!  
_**


	36. Chapter 36

_**An authors note...**__**I apologize for the delay in updates, life has been just a little more hectic than usual:P But I'm hoping to work around my ridiculous schedule and work on my stories as often as possible. Here's hoping you enjoy this little bit of fluff...Love you all and thanks for reading!  
**_

_********__Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers._

**_Let It Be_**

Once his birthday had passed, Artie was anxiously counting down the days until summer vacation. As much as he loved school, or more precisely, loved to learn...this year turned out to be the most difficult ever, both on a physical, as well as a social level.

He was more than ready for lazy days of hanging out with his Mom and sister...and he supposed his brother too...just reading, or swimming, or doing fun things around town. There were a total of thirteen weeks of vacation, and And intended on making the most of every single day.

"...and Mom said maybe we can go to the zoo next week," Artie announced excitedly. The first week had passed much too quickly for his liking, and the stormy weather they had, was making it difficult to do all the fun things they had planned.

That piqued Art's interest. "I'd wouldn't mind coming along for that," he stated with a grin. "I can't get any time off during the week, but if you can hold off a bit, we could go next weekend."

"That's Father's day weekend...me, you and Andy'll be in Cincinnati for the Reds game with Grandpa, Uncle Steve, Jess and Mark ," Artie reminded his father pointedly, but then an idea struck him and his lips spread into a beaming smile. "Maybe Mom and Abbey can come with us too...and Grandma and Aunt Jayne...we can go to the zoo with everyone first, then..."

Artie immediately noticed the look that passed between his parents. His smile vanished and his heart sunk. "We're not going, are we?"

Art's expression faltered slightly, but his tone remained even. "With us just having a new baby, Grandpa thought it would be better if we stayed close to home this year," he explained, "and I agreed."

"Awww, no fair," Andy cried out.

Ignoring his younger sons squawk of disappointment, Art went on a little further. "Instead, Grandpa, Uncle Steve and I are going to meet up and go golfing early Sunday morning," he added, "...so I'll be sure to be home in time for brunch."

Artie forced a smile up at his Dad and nodded. He figured traveling with an infant wouldn't be too difficult, Abbey was still pretty portable at her age. But factor in him and all of his...equipment, and that changes everything...even with both of his parents there. Deep down inside, Artie was beginning to suspect that Abbey was just an excuse, and he was the real reason they weren't going.

"Dad, can we go out and practice now?" Andy's voice pierced through the slight hush that had fallen over them.

"Yeah, sure," Art replied with a chuckle as he watched his little boy leap from his seat. It was the beginning of baseball season...well, t-ball for the Kindergarteners...and as head coach of Andy's team, Art made it a point to take him outside on days weather permitted and there were no other scheduled practices, to work on his skills.

"Andy Honey," Alicia called out before he could get too far, her brow quirked up pointedly as she gently reminded, "Isn't it your turn to clear off the table?"

"But it'll be dark soon," the youngster whined, but was met with only a stern look from his mother.

"It will be light for another two hours Andrew," Alicia countered pointedly, "you'll have plenty of time to play, _after_ you clear the table." She was waiting for more resistance, and was surprised when it didn't come...or rather, didn't have time to come.

"I'll do it, Mom," Artie offered softly, as he pushed away from the table and placed his almost empty plate in his lap.

"Cool, thanks," Andy returned casually, then turned to his father and beamed. "C'mon Dad."

But Art didn't budge, just stood frozen by Alicia's imploring gaze. It was as if able he could read exactly what she was thinking, simply by gazing into those beautifully expressive blue eyes of hers. "Hold on Champ, I have an idea," he went on to suggest. "Why don't you both clean up, so the job gets done faster? That way all three of us can go out and play a little catch."

"But Dad, we're supposed to be practicing," Andy's whine intensified, "...and he can't play anyway..."

"_Andrew_," Alicia gasped, admonishing him with not only her tone, but also her incredulous glare.

"We can still practice together...the three of us," Art intoned firmly, pointedly eying Andy, before acknowledging Artie. "What do you say, Ace?" he queried playfully.

Artie's first instinct was to decline the invitation. Even before the accident he wasn't very good at baseball...or any sport...plus, Andy didn't seem too eager to have him join...but, he really wanted to do something with their dad, and it seemed like forever since he'd actually thrown a baseball. The closest he'd come recently, was tossing beanbags at various targets and working with the therapy balls in physio.

"I could really use a catcher," Art added, using that persuasive tone he'd actually learned from his boys.

It didn't take much convincing.

"Okay," Artie acquiesced with a small nod and beaming smile...and tried not to let Andy's groan of disappointment, ruin the moment.

...

The table was cleared in no time, and after a little digging on Art's part, Artie's glove was found and the three Abrams men were out in the back yard, warming up.

Their arrangement of tossing the ball to one another while they stood in a circle worked beautifully, as long as they were going clockwise. As soon as they switched to counterclockwise...Artie to Art, Art to Andy and Andy back to Artie...things got a little messy.

It was the third ball in a row Andy threw over Artie's head. "Hey Kiddo, we're playing catch, not monkey in the middle," Art gently reminded his younger son, as he jogged back to his spot after retrieving the latest runaway ball.

"It's not my fault he can't catch," Andy grumbled the retort.

Art steadied his gaze and raised a brow. "Well, maybe if you actually threw it to him, he could," he maintained, though never got a chance to implement.

Bored, Andy asked, "Can we do something else now?"

"How about some fielding?" Art suggested as he picked up the bat he had resting against the tree behind him.

Since both boys agreed, Art thought it best to start off with Artie. It was a softly hit ground ball, and took a little chair maneuvering, as well as some strategically planned movements, but he was able to grasp it with the tips of his glove and toss it back to his father.

This went on for about another ten minutes, or so, Art alternating hits between his sons. Artie didn't even care if his plays were soft, grounded, and hit directly to him, while Andy's were all varying degrees of difficulties...he was just so happy to be _playing_.

Andy urged Art to change gears once again, and now they were going to get in some batting practice.

"I don't know, Dad..." Artie muttered, soft and very self-consciously, as he reached for the bat his father was offering him.

"I'll go first," Andy cut in and offered eagerly.

Art put his hand up to Andy, motioning to hold on as he acknowledged Artie. "Don't know what, Ace?," he played casual, then slowly began to take a few steps back, so there would be enough of a distance between them when he started pitching.

Artie's gaze fell to his lap, and he let out a soft sigh, "Don't know if I can do it?"

"Well you won't, unless you try," Art returned, smiling encouragingly. Artie matched his fathers grin, while Andy let an irritated sigh and stomped over to the catcher's position.

It wasn't a huge surprise to Artie that he swung and missed the first five pitches thrown at him. "See, I told you I couldn't do it," he muttered dishearteningly, after the sixth try.

Art held off the frown that was threatening to break through and instead suggested, "Why don't you angle your chair a little...and hold the bat up a bit more..."

"Like this?" Artie asked uncertainly.

Art nodded. "Don't lean forward so much, it'll throw off your balance even more."

Artie followed his fathers instruction to sit up straighter. He engaged his abdominal muscles as best he could, held the the bat over his shoulder, and waited.

Nothing could erase the beaming smile that occurred when Artie's bat finally made contact with the ball...not even the intense muscle spasms that resulted from pushing his limits a little too far.

"Thanks Dad," he stated, as Art was tucking him for the night.

"For what?" his father replied, distracted by the task of properly placing an extra pillow under the boy's trembling left leg.

"For today," Artie returned casually. His last dose of medication hadn't quite kicked in yet, so he was still perfectly lucid. "I like spending time with you...doing things together." Art's hands stilled, hovering over the blanket, and lifted his gaze just in time to see Artie shrug. "I miss it."

The words came out in barely a whisper, but they spoke volumes. Art immediately felt guilt twist at his gut, especially when he remembered the news he'd sprung on his son just a few hours before. "I've missed it to, Kiddo," he returned, just as the idea came to him...and he smiled instead.

_**ANx2...this chapter is dedicated to Megan, who is home sick and miserable right now:( Feel better, Woman!**_


	37. Chapter 37

**_An authors note...OMG!...this chapter just about killed me:P I am going to sound repetitive yet again and apologize profusely for not updating in such a long time...months actually. I really am sorry, and hope that this nice long chapter makes up, at least a little, for it. Major angst ahead in both this and the next chapter...you have been warned._**

_**Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers.**_

_**Let It Be**_

Like every Fourth of July, the Abrams started out their day with patriotically decorated donuts, before heading across town to watch the annual parade. Alicia had made it a point to include Artie in all of the planning and preparation for the day...from what dessert he thought they should make, to what outfit she should dress Abbey in. She hoped it would ease the sting of having Andy be the one to march with his t-ball team this year, instead of Artie with his Cub scout pack.

Arriving early to ensure they easily accessed the spot Art had saved for them with folding chairs and blankets, Alicia was relieved to find he had chosen an area partially shaded by a large oak tree. She had made that suggestion so they wouldn't have to worry as much about too much sun exposure for Artie, or baby Abbey, and was able to ignore the little voice in the back of her head, warning her that in spite of being in the shade, they would still be sitting in the July heat for more than four hours.

Alicia contently watched Artie munch on his donut while she discreetly nursed Abbey under the blanket draped over her shoulder, until the roar of police motorbikes announced the beginning of the celebration, and the spaces around them began to fill.

"I think I'm in the way..." he mumbled self-consciously as he unlocked his brakes and backed up, trying his best to maneuver closer to his mother...a feat that was proving to be difficult on the uneven, and suddenly, very crowded surface.

"No Honey, you're fine right where you're at," Alicia assured him, her tone tender, but her message firm over the noise. It pained her that he felt that way. How was this fair...especially since they were there first? Didn't he have just as much right to be there as everyone else?

She remained seated next to him...even when everyone else jumped to their feet as the flags carried by a group of police officers and veterans, passed by.

As they settled in to watch the festivities, Artie was smiling and still waving the small flag he was holding...though Alicia couldn't help but notice him discretely tuck the plastic bag he'd brought with, between his left thigh and the armrest of his chair. She wondered if he was figuring any attempt at catching the candy being thrown, would be nearly impossible with the wall of able bodied kids perched on the curb in front of him.

That thought alone, made her eyes mist.

It wasn't long before Artie's former Cub Scout pack was passing by. Alicia couldn't believe just how many of Artie's waves went unreturned from the group of boys, who just a year ago, regarded him as one of their own. She reached over to grasp the small hand that was now laying still in his lap, and felt a squeeze almost immediately.

His smile returned almost as quickly.

Alicia knew that Art, Andy, and the players from the various programs in the youth sports association were coming up shortly, and she was bound and determined to keep Artie's smile from faltering from disappointment, yet again.

Spotting them both the group, Alicia rose to her feet only long enough to wave and snap a few pictures, before motioning over to her husband. It was a subtle gesture, just enough of a head nod to tip Art off. Without missing a step, he shoved both hands into the bucket of candy Andy was carrying, and jogged over to Artie.

The little boy giggled as an enormous amount of candy, rained down on his lap...more than twice the amount of anything anyone around him had collected thus far.

"Thanks Dad," Artie chuckled...a response which earned him a ruffle of the hair and a conspiratorial wink, before Art hurried to return to his group.

Eyes still wide with surprise, and beaming from ear to ear, Artie looked over at his mother, as if he couldn't believe his luck, and giggled again. Alicia could barely suppress her own amusement as she helped him finally put his bag to good use...making sure to collect any pieces that had fallen to the ground, before they could be snatched up by greedy little hands.

After his lap and surrounding areas had been cleared, Alicia lifted Artie over to hers so they could collect any candy that may have been hiding. The seven pieces they found between and under the cushion and frame of his chair, made him giggle even harder.

Artie pulled the lone piece of red licorice out of his bag and shared the candy, which he knew to be his mothers favorite, with her, before nestling back against her chest...where he happily spent the rest of the parade.

...

Artie ended up sharing a good amount of his candy with Andy on the ride to Alicia's parents house. If for nothing else, at least it got his brother to stop complaining about how much his feet hurt, or how the parade wasn't as much fun when you were marching in it.

Alicia sat in the front passenger seat, staring out the window, trying to keep her thoughts from wandering...something that was becoming increasingly more difficult since she'd flipped that calendar page over from June to July, to see that date there, staring her in the face. While she was doing a pretty good job of keeping up that front, Alicia was hoping that the party at her parents would be just the distraction she needed to continue it.

"I'm gonna go swimming now," Andy called excitedly, even before he was fully out of the van.

"Not before we reapply your sunscreen," she answered back as he darted past her.

While Art headed after Andy, Abbey's car seat in one hand and the diaper bag in the other, Alicia assisted Artie out. "You ready to go swimming?" she asked casually, and passed the mold of jello they'd made, to his waiting hands.

Artie carefully balanced the bowl on one thigh and the plate of cookies he was offered next, on the other, before giving a slight shrug. There was a slightly strained silence as his mother pushed him across the lawn, to the back of the house. "You're coming too, right?" he intoned a second later, twisting his head over his left shoulder, his eyes both imploring, and hopeful.

Alicia smiled lovingly down at him, and it was enough to ease the building tightness in her chest, for now. "You bet," she replied as playfully as possible, hoping it would be just the thing to ease his obvious anxiousness. "Dad too...and maybe even Abbey."

"Really?" Artie gasped, eyes widening with excitement. Baby Abbey had only been in the water twice in all of her nine and a half weeks, mostly because the air temperature outside had been too cool, even if their pool itself, was heated.

Alicia nodded, grinning. "We'll just get everyone changed and ready to go..." Her words trailed off when she noticed Artie's shoulders slump and his gaze fall to his lap. "Sweetie?" she cooed softly as she eased his chair to a stop, just outside the yard.

"I can keep my shirt on, right?"

There was no denying the deep self-consciousness pouring out of that muffled question. Alicia's mind drifted back to a few days ago, and the friends Andy'd invited to come swimming...neither of whom could stop staring at Artie's scars, or asking questions about how he'd got them.

"Of course you can, Sweetie," she reassured him, but went on to add, "but you don't need to..."

"I just don't want to burn," he cut in softly with that logical response before she could get out the '_you have nothing to be ashamed about_', she'd planned on finishing with. It was a dismissive ploy, but she couldn't exactly fault him...he had inherited _her_ fair Irish skin, after all.

Wordlessly, she pushed him through the gate, into the backyard.

...

While Art spent most of the afternoon in the water with his boys and two nephews, Alicia and her sisters helped Kathleen prepare the food, while keeping their eyes on the three girls, though the two youngest were currently napping in their strollers.

"Have you decided what you're doing for Libby's first birthday?" Bridget asked younger sister Colleen, as she passed her the pot of baked beans to be placed on the picnic table.

Colleen let out a playful chuckle. "Bry thinks we should go all out with a circus theme complete with a tent, a clown, and a magician."

"That sounds adorable," Kathleen cooed excitedly.

"And ridiculously expensive, Mom," Colleen countered, scoffing teasingly at her mother. "Especially for something she won't even remember."

"But you have to do _something_," Alicia intoned teasingly, using the best big sister nag she could muster.

"Yeah," Bridget concurred with a conspiratorial glance Alicia's way. "It is the big_ one_."

Letting out a mock sigh of annoyance, Colleen rolled her eyes playfully at her older sisters. "I know, and we will," she went on to assure them, "...just not that over the top. Or_ big_ top, as the case may be." A string of laughter echoed, as the passing of platters resumed. "We need to start saving now, for that car we all know she'll be expecting for her sweet sixteen."

"Maybe you should ask Lucas for help," Bridget piped in. "He's already picked out the theme for his sixth birthday," she added with a slight giggle, then shrugged, "but that'll probably change five times between now and January."

"Andy's already picked his out too," Alicia quipped playfully, "though he only has to wait until the end of November." Then she remembered, and another soft chuckle escaped her. "Artie asked, even before this past birthday, if we could combine his and Abbey's next year," she stated, grinning from ear to ear. "He doesn't even care if it's 'girlie', just as long as they get to celebrate it together."

"Oh, that is _so_ adorable," Bridget gushed, placing the last of the bowls onto the buffet table. "He has to be the sweetest big brother ever."

Alicia couldn't agree more.

One call from Kathleen, to the hungry guys, and dinner was underway. It wasn't much longer after that, and Tom emerged from the house, armed with a large pitcher and a tray of glasses. "Who's up for a margarita?"

"Ooh, I am," Bridget called out first, followed by Kathleen and Bryan.

"Leesh?" he asked as he finished pouring his own.

"No thanks," she was able to mutter through her slight surprise.

"C'mon, Sis," he needled playfully. "It's strawberry, your favorite."

Alicia tried to mask the glare of incredularity she was shooting him, with casualness. "I can't, Tommy...I'm nursing."

"It's only one," he countered flippantly.

"Really Tom, I can't," she insisted, voice cracking slightly with building emotion.

Tom scoffed teasingly, unaware at just how much he was upsetting his sister. "Deb used to do it," he continued thoughtlessly. "I have to go in to make more anyway, I promise I won't make this next batch very strong..."

"Tommy, I said I can't...okay?" she ground out, nearly shouting and startling herself as well as a few others in the process...especially her sons. Her teary gaze landed pointedly on Art, second beer clutched in his hand, and she blurted, "I'm the one driving home tonight."

As soft as her words had become, Alicia's message rang out loud and clear. Guilt striken, Tom hurried back into the house, not to return for some time, and without the pitcher of drinks he'd promised.

Alicia quickly turned her attention to her food, and away from the stares her outburst had caused...though she was anything but hungry now.

A slight solemness hung thick in the air, but toward the end of the meal, it lifted, and soon the sound of children's laughter and light-hearted conversation could be heard again.

"Mom, can I help with dessert?" Artie asked excitedly.

Alicia couldn't help but match the smile he was giving her. "Sure. Just let us clean up here and put the leftovers away, and I'll come back out to get you when we're ready."

"Okay," he replied, his grin widening as he scanned the back yard to see what he could do to keep busy in the mean time.

His Grandpa had Abbey on his lap, and was keeping an eye on new walker Libby who was toddling(but mostly falling) on the grass beside him. His Dad and Uncle Bryan were setting the spikes for the horseshoe toss, but they already had plenty of help with Ian, Andy, and Lucas all eager for their their turn with the rubber mallet. His Uncle Patrick had disappeared, presumably into the house with little Emma.

And then he saw him, at the far end of the patio.

"Hey, Uncle Tom."

"Hey, Artie," he returned, then busied himself by stomping out his cigarette, so his nephew wouldn't see the regret still present in his eyes. The habit itself was one he only abused when upset, but was not the action he was feeling guilty about, at present time. "You ready to play some horseshoes?"

The little boy shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe later. I'm gonna help Mom with dessert, first."

The pang hit again, and Tom dropped his gaze back to the ground. "I didn't mean to upset her..."

"I know," Artie replied genuinely. "She just...worries..."

Tom gave a small nod of understanding. "I know, and I was being stupid," he confessed.

There was a slight pause in conversation before Artie finally worked up the courage to ask, "So you're not gonna drive home tonight, right?"

At first the question took him by surprise. He wondered if it was obvious to even an eight year old that he'd had too much to drink that day, or if it was the reaction from the boy's mother, that gave that away.

"No Kiddo, I'm staying here tonight," uncle assured nephew, as he took a seat on the closest chair, so they could be almost eye level.

"And Ian?" Artie queried almost immediately, knowing his younger cousin would be due back at his mom's house, later that night.

A shake of the head this time. "No, Grandpa's going to take him."

"Good." Artie breathed a small sigh of relief, and shrugged again. "I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

Tom closed his eyes, hoping to push down the anger building at himself and his foolish actions, as well as the emotion collecting in his throat. That rage from a year ago, when he learned the fate of his sister and especially his nephew, by the hands of some idiot, returned with a vengeance. _How could he have forgotten all of that?_

"I wouldn't want that either," he managed to croak out.

A broad smile began forming on Artie's lips, and before Tom knew it, his nephew had closed the distance between them and a small pair of arms were being flung around him. "I love you, Uncle Tom."

Tom couldn't hold back the chuckle that erupted from deep within, though he was able to prevent shedding any of the tears that were pooling in his eyes as he hugged back. "I love you too, Buddy."

...

Alicia had already forgiven her brother, even before she secretly witnessed the tender exchange between him and her son. However, the events of the day, paired with the time of year in general, and the fact that Tom decided to drink excessively in front of the kids...especially Artie...had her even farther on edge.

They'd just finished up eating their smores and, after the stickiness was washed off the children, were now getting ready for the fireworks.

While they waited for dusk to turn to darkness, Kathleen and Tom Sr. took out the more kid friendly items they'd bought for their grandkids...snaps, poppers, and of course every ones favorite, sparklers. Each child over five got their own box of each, while the parents of the infants and toddlers, got their cut.

Andy and Ian had already been through both their boxes of the snaps and poppers, as well as half of Artie's and all of Abbey's. It wasn't long before they burned their way through the sparklers, too.

"Mom, can we have Abbey's now?" he asked pleadingly, though it came off sounding a lot more like a whine.

"You may have three each...the rest is for her," Alicia replied pointedly. Even if the thrill was more for her and Art's benefit, the baby did seem to enjoy watching the bright light and crackle of the sticks.

As soon as the sticks were in hand, Andy and Ian ran back over to the small fire pit in the middle of the patio, lit one each, and began chasing each other with them. Lucas soon joined in, but stopped when something caught his attention.

"Hey Artie, why're you doing it that way?" the curious little boy asked his cousin.

"Because these sticks are really short and I can't reach the fire pit without getting really close," he answered casually, then showed the boy by carefully easing the tip of the stick over the flame of the small citronella candle sitting on the glass top table in front of him. "My Mom is worried that if I get to close to the pit, I might burn my legs and not know it. This way, I can still play and not worry about getting burned."

"My Mom won't let me by the fire either...she's afraid I'll get burnt too," Lucas admitted, a little dejectedly. "So she has to light my sparklers for me."

"If you want, I can share my candle with you," Artie offered, smiling at his cousin. Lucas' eyes widened with excitement, and he nodded animatedly before running over to ask his parents permission.

"Tag. You're it."

"I'm not playing Andy."

"But he tagged you, so you're it," Ian piped in.

"I can't chase you guys," Artie retorted, letting his incredularity overpower his annoyance. "Especially not in the dark, or on the grass, or with a sparkler in my hand."

Andy smirked then charged, Ian following a step behind. "But we can still chase you."

Artie began backing up a little, but Andy continued his advance, and began to wave a lit sparkler in his brothers face...and it wasn't until he felt the sting on his arm, that Artie looked down to see the cascading ash, falling onto his legs. "Stop, Andy," he warned, brushing his hands over his thighs in an attempt to shield them.

Andy didn't stop though. In fact, Artie's agitation just seemed to encourage him further, and soon, both him and Ian were lighting more sticks and aiming them at Artie's legs.

"Hey, don't do that...you're gonna burn me," he cried out.

Immediately alerted to the plea of her son, Alicia stood from her seat, and rushed over...just in time to see the smoldering tip of one of Andy's sparkler, touch the top of Artie's knee.

"Andrew Thomas Abrams," Alicia screamed...actually screamed, as she forcibly yanked Andy by the arm, away from Artie. She looked down and studied his legs. It was dark, but the unmistakable blemish of an angry red blister had definitely began to form. "Why would you do this...what were you thinking?"

"I just wanted to see if he could feel it," Andy answered meekly.

"What?" Alicia gasped incredulously, shaking her head in disbelief. "Good God Andy, you know he can't feel it...and you know how dangerous something like this could be for him..."

"I'm sorry, Mom," he cut in, bottom lip trembling.

"You should be sorry," she returned gruffly, but instantly regretted it. Feeling her last bit of resolve about to crumble, Alicia turned to Art and asked him to pack everything up, while she tended to Artie's wound.

"We should probably get this check out," she stated aloud, as she carefully covered the spot with a special dressing.

"No Mom, I'm fine," Artie returned fervently. The last place he wanted to go was the hospital.

"But Sweetie, it's very red and already starting to blister..." she managed before the tears started to flow.

"It's okay Mom...," he tried to reassure her, reaching out for her hand. Alicia squeezed back and nodded.

But it wasn't okay. She'd failed to protect him that day, and couldn't protect him now...from pain, from ignorance, from unkindness of others...even from his own brother.

And she hated herself for that.

...

**_ANx2...I have to admit, while RL has been insanely busy, the real reason I haven't updated was I kind of lost my inspiration for a while. This story(as well as my others) is so important to me, and while author and reader don't always see eye to eye, I want everyone to enjoy and love it as much as I do. Your opinion matters to me, so please let me know what you think:D_**

**_ANx3...Also, I know this chapter may seem a bit dark and overly emotional, but I ask that before you judge or bash Alicia for feeling the way she does, or acting a certain way, please put yourself in her shoes for just one minute...Thank you._**


	38. Chapter 38

**_An authors note...I can't believe it took me this long to update, but this chapter meant so much to me and I wanted to get it just right. I hope it was worth the wait. I promise for more lighter chapters to come, and hopefully quicker updates in the near future. Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think:D  
_**

_**Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers.**_

_**Let It Be**_

He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the soft sounds coming from the room down the hall. Lately, sleep was hard to come by, or just maintain, and strange dreams bordering on nightmares had been plaguing his nights. So for the past few weeks, he forced himself to only focus on the things that made him happiest.

His mother humming lullabies to his baby sister while she fed her, was definitely one of those things.

Artie wasn't sure how long it was before the humming stopped, or when the warm sun began filtering through his window, but he waited until his room was completely aglow in light, before deciding to get out of bed.

It was then he remembered it was raining _that_ morning, one year ago, today.

Heaving a small sigh, Artie pushed aside the light blanket covering him, and got to work on the tedious task of getting himself into his chair. He started by twisting his torso to the right, then propped himself up on one elbow. With his left hand, he slid his legs, one at a time, toward the edge of the bed, while simultaneously pushing his body up with his right arm.

Once he was fully seated, Artie scooted closer to his chair. After checking that the brakes were set, he shifted himself down and into the seat, then arranged his feet on the footrests, before heading out of his room. It wasn't until he got into the bathroom, that Artie remembered he'd woke up early that morning because of the rain, but didn't get out of bed until he felt the actual _urge_ to. Unfortunately, he didn't have that luxury anymore, on a few levels; and while he knew he wasn't as restricted as he would be when he became old enough to take care of all of his needs on his own, he was still required to follow a fairly strict schedule.

Artie briefly considered curling back into his bed with a book, but something pulled him in another direction.

"Morning, Mom," he whispered softly from the doorway of his baby sisters room.

Surprised more than startled, Alicia broke the gaze she had studying the imaginary spot on the floor, and instinctively smiled at the sound of that small voice. It was clear, by the moist puffy redness of her eyes, that she'd been crying, or at least very close to, but everything in her grin, was genuine. "Hi Sweetie," she greeted back, only somewhat distractedly, "What are you doing up so early?"

Artie's expression turned slightly quizzical, as he glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Umm, it's after seven."

"Oh," she muttered, matching his gaze. To say she'd lost track of time, was a bit of an understatement. The last time she remembered glancing at the clock, was when Abbey woke up to nurse, around four-thirty. "Let me just put her down," Alicia paused to lovingly look down at the sleeping baby in her arms, "then, I'll make you some breakfast."

"Can I help?," Artie offered willingly.

Smiling over her shoulder, Alicia nodded. "Of course."

...

He wanted to tell her she didn't have to do this, that cereal or eggs would be just fine, but there was something in the way she looked...like she _needed_ to do it.

"Okay Honey, would you grab the blueberries and milk out of the fridge?" Alicia asked, forcing cheerfulness into her weary voice, as she reached for the mixing bowl from the cabinet above her head. She was just finishing measuring out the dry ingredients when Artie returned to her side, items in lap, beautiful face beaming up at her. "You want to mix, too?" she queried, almost playfully.

Artie gave an eager nod, then followed his mother to the kitchen table, where the bowl would be placed more at his level. "You measure out one cup of milk, and I'll get the eggs," she instructed.

Alicia had purposely avoided asking him for that particular item, since they were located at the top of the refrigerator door. She briefly wondered if he would have been able to reach them now, had he actually been able to stand, but quickly dismissed the thought from her mind.

As Artie mixed the batter, he couldn't help but remember how he'd asked for blueberry pancakes _that_ morning. How disappointed he was when he was advised by his very busy mother to"please just have a bowl cereal". How she'd offered to make them the next day, but never got the chance. His "thanks, Mom" was completely sincere and appreciative, which made Alicia certain it wasn't just for the two eggs she'd cracked into the bowl for him. The two exchanged a meaningful glance, before Alicia moved on to prepare the griddle.

"Good morning, everyone."

Art's disguised voice surprised both of them, and they immediately looked up. Artie's lips spread into a wide grin, while Alicia's expression took on a slightly more pained appearance. "She can't be ready to eat again, can she?"

A chuckle escaped him as he passed his wife, gurgling baby cradled in the crook of his arm. "Well it is almost eight," he replied pointedly over his shoulder.

"Here Dad," Artie called out, gesturing to the empty space on the table in front of him. "You can put her by me. I'm all done mixing."

Art nodded, and smiled at his son as he carefully placed his daughter into the infant seat next to him. Once Abbey was securely fastened, Art took the bowl Artie was holding out to him, but not before placing a lingering kiss to the top of the little boy's head, and a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Alicia whispered her thanks as she accepted the bowl Art brought to her. She felt a comforting warmth wash over her when he wrapped his arms around her from behind; and swallowing the emotion from her throat, Alicia returned the small kiss he was giving her. "Andy awake yet?" she asked casually.

"Nope," Art answered, right arm still snaked protectively around her waist. At Alicia's slightly disapproving nod, Art chuckled. "I think we should leave him sleep as long as we can. That way there will be less of a chance of him being grouchy and tired at Harry's party."

Alicia's expression faltered and she let out a soft sigh. "Do you really think we should let him go?" she asked, questioning blue meeting imploring hazel. "I just think we should be together as a family...especially today."

Art's hold tightened a bit, and he pressed his lips to her temple in a comforting gesture. "I know," he acknowledged sympathetically, "but as I see it, if he's out doing his thing, we'll have more time to devote to just Artie."

Nodding in agreement, Alicia pressed herself further into her husbands embrace. "I'm so glad you're here today," she mumbled into his chest, words both muffled and cracking with emotion.

Art smiled and let his other arm envelop her. "I am too," he began, emphasizing his words by squeezing her gently. "Even if it was a workday instead of a Saturday, there is no other place I'd be."

"Hey Mom, Dad," Artie's mirth-filled voice rang out over the depth of their emotion. "Watch, I can make her laugh really hard."

At the sound of the matching deeply infectious chuckles emanating from both their baby girl, and eldest son, the Abrams couldn't help but smile. "She loves you so much, Sweetheart," Alicia stated through her now happy tears, as she watched brother hold sister's pudgy little feet over his bespectacled eyes and announce "peek-a-boo" as he pulled them away. Always with the same result.

Artie grinned and giggled at Abbey's bubbling laughter. "I love her so much, too."

...

Breakfast was surprisingly lighthearted, smiles all around, more resonating laughter at Art's attempts to feed new to solids Abbey, her infant cereal. Andy behaved himself too, only asking once when they could leave to go to Harry's. Noticing the time pushing eleven am, Artie figured it was probably best to get dressed soon; and with some assistance from his Dad, he was upstairs in a flash.

"Need a hand, Ace?" Art asked, much like he always did, specifically for those rare occasions his boy might actually say yes. Of course he didn't again this time, and father left without a word. Heading to the bathroom first, to take care of emptying the small collection bag he wore on his thigh, Artie instantly recalled _that_ moment.

_Washing his hands thoroughly after he'd flushed, Artie stepped from the bathroom, to almost collide with little brother._

_"Watch out, Andy," he scolded lightly.  
_

_The younger Abrams let out an annoyed sigh as he tried to squeeze past. "Move, I gotta go."  
_

_Artie stepped aside obligingly, until something caught his eye. "Is that my baseball?"_

_Andy looked down at his hand and shrugged. "No."  
_

_"It looks like the one Dad gave me," Artie maintained bending forward to get a better look. "The one that's missing from my room."  
_

_"It's not," Andy returned, yanking his arm behind his back. "I found this one."  
_

_"Where?" the elder brother asked in challenge.  
_

_"Outside...In the bushes."  
_

_Artie glared skeptically. "Let me see," he tried again. "I wrote my initials on it, in black permanent marker...A.A."  
_

_"Those are my initials too," the little boy taunted, backing his way into the room.  
_

_"Yeah, but if you just found it, then it wouldn't have your initials on it yet," Artie shot back, reaching again for his brothers hand.  
_

_"Stop, It's not yours," Andy cried pulling away.  
_

_"Then let me see."  
_

_"No."  
_

_"C'mon Andy, let me..."  
_

_The harmless scuffle ended with a deafening splash.  
_

_Artie tried not to cringe as he watched the ball sink to the bottom of the bowl, nor did he say anything when the visible black markings appeared through the water.  
_

_"Great, now look what you did."  
_

_Rolling his eyes slightly at his brother, Artie paused for a moment. There was no way he was sticking his clean hands in the toilet, right after he'd used it. "I'm gonna look for those gloves Mom uses when she cleans in here," he told his brother as he crouched down in front of the cabinet. "Don't touch anything."  
_

_And like clockwork, Andy's small hand slipped off the top of the tank, hitting the lever on it's way down.  
_

_Artie jumped to his feet. To his relief, the ball hadn't been completely swept away, but it was definitely lodged farther down into the bowl, barely even visible now. Before he could breathe that sigh of relief, however, water started spilling over the rim of the toilet, and onto the cold tile floor. "Andy, go run downstairs and get Mom," he ordered, scrambling frantically to sop up the mess with the first thing he could find.  
_

Artie was snapped from his reverie by silence. His bag now empty, he finished in the bathroom, then wheeled into his bedroom.

Scanning the room, Artie was pleased with the change he made a few months ago, though a part of him could still visualize the green walls and soccer themed decor from a year ago. He pulled up to his bed, clothes already picked out by himself the night before, and prepared to transfer. It was sometimes easier to get dressed in his chair, but not always. After scooting toward the middle of his bed, and back against the headboard, Artie straightened out his left leg, which had come along for the ride, at least partially, then maneuvered his right leg with his hands, to lie next to it.

Artie stared at the legs in front of him. He placed his hands, which he knew to be warm, on the tops of his thighs. It was weird, he touched his legs all the time, just not usually purposely...at least not anymore. Running his hands down, he only got about half way before they recoiled. Hesitating for only a moment, Artie reached back down to touch the sizable scar at the base of his right thigh, just above his knee. He fingered it, still amazed that there was a large chunk of thick window glass embedded in it, and he never even knew, never felt a thing. Looking back, he supposed that made sense.

After hurriedly shimmying out of his pajama shorts, Artie reached for the pair of khaki bermudas on his left. He noted the softness of the fabric, and remembered wearing jean shorts_ that_ day. He remembered them being a little on the tighter side, but the actual feeling was lost to him. He briefly wondered what happened to them after the accident.

Looser fit for comfort and ease, he worked his feet into the openings, making a mental note that they were cool to the touch, and socks would be in order. Then alternated from tugging, to balancing, to shifting, until they were up to his hips, and all that was left to do was one final shift on each side, and they were on. Changing his shirt, of course, took mere seconds in contrast.

Glancing down one more time at his thin(they'd always been skinny, but not like this), limp, forever still(except during muscle spasms), legs, Artie quickly transferred back. Thinking about nothing more than how getting socks on, was definitely easier from in the chair.

...

As morning ticked away, the mood in the house began taking on a more somber tone. With their welcomed distraction napping, her schedule thrown off a bit by the weekend, and the day itself, the family sat down for lunch, eating in relative silence. No one seemed particularly interested in food, aside from Andy, of course. "Can I have more chips?"

"Finish your sandwich first, Champ, then you can have some more," Art leaned to his right, and whispered softly to the boy.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup, more of Artie's favorites, but not his first choice. He almost suggested peanut butter and jelly, when asked what he had a taste for, but changed his mind when he realized that might be a little too similar to the jelly sandwich and celery with peanut butter he'd made for him and his mother to eat, _that_ day.

"Can we go to Harry's now, Dad?"

The inquiry rang out, causing Artie to glance up from his plate. He scanned the table. His mother, soup no more than half eaten, sandwich left relatively untouched, wearing a sort of pained look. His father, sympathetically looking over at her. His brother bouncing so anxiously in his seat, it looked as though he were about ready to jump out of his skin.

Alicia's eyes met Art's, imploring. He knew what they were saying, even without the words. "Just as soon as Abbey wakes up," he went on to tell his youngest, "Mom and I thought it would be nice for all of us to take a walk together, to drop you off."

Andy let out a heavy sigh. "But she'll have to eat first," he whined in response, "and driving there is faster."

Artie knew how much his mother was against letting Andy go anywhere right now, and it wasn't just because he was still on "probation" after the week long confined-to-the-house-24/7 grounding(and the-angriest-anyone-had-ever-seen-his-mother-get scolding) his brother had been dealt, over the sparkler incident on the fourth of July. He'd overheard his parents discussing it for days now, Alicia emphasizing how important it was for the five of them together on this day, and Art's counterpoint that if Andy were to spend the time at Harry's, they would be able to give Artie even more one on one attention.

It was obvious his father had won, though by the paling of his mother's face, that victory would remain hollow. "No Andy, we're going to walk," Art intoned, then added softly, "together, as a family."

Something in Artie's stomach twisted a little. He was definitely astute to the fact that as the days neared, their time spent out and about, diminished as well. They hadn't gone anywhere, in almost three days.

Artie briefly wondered if the memory of the accident was on his mother's mind every time she got behind the wheel...or in any vehicle. That thought alone, made him sad. But he didn't have time to dwell. As if on cue, Abbey's cries could be heard over the baby monitor, and everyone scrambled into action. It wasn't long before they were all packed up, lathered in sunscreen, and headed out the garage door.

Artie hadn't noticed Andy at first, he was concentrating on not letting the sad, sympathetic stares they were getting from the majority of neighbors who were out, bother him. Not surprisingly, Mr. Brady was the only one to give a genuinely friendly wave from across the street.

But as soon as a blur of blue breezed past him, none of that really seemed to matter.

It wasn't like it was his anymore...hadn't been since that day a year ago. Though it had been, even if just for two short months; the most prized possession he'd ever had, before his guitar, that is.

The brilliant blue paint was now chipped in some places, frame dirtied from use. The mini Ohio license plate stamped with his name, his parents had custom made as part of his birthday gift, now replaced with a generic plastic one, reading "Andy".

The former, now attached to the back frame of his chair.

Artie could hear his parents muffled voices behind him, noticing right away that his mother sounded upset. It wasn't a surprise to him, it had to be difficult for her to see Andy riding the bike that he was learning how to, just minutes before the accident occurred. The bike she'd told him to put away, so he could come with her, _that_ day.

It was for him, too.

A moment later, Andy was being ushered over by Art, while Alicia busied herself with getting Abbey situated.

Artie discretely watched his brother as he reluctantly trudged up the slight incline of the drive way, the same way he did _that_ day. Remembered how he argued with his Mom over letting him stay home and ride, instead of going with her; much like Andy was doing right now.

Feeling the gentle brush of a feminine hand on his shoulder, Artie glanced up and shared a soft smile with his mother. "You all ready to go?" Alicia asked, peering down lovingly at him.

Artie nodded, his smile widening as he held up his hands in front of him. "I've got my gloves," he stated, then glanced over his shoulder to add, "My water bottle." After a quick nod to the thermos style canteen hanging off the right handle bar of his chair, he glanced back at the item in his lap, "And my hat."

Alicia couldn't help but let her own grin reflexively spread, as she gently caressed his upper back. "Then let's go."

...

The distance between their house and Harry's, wasn't particularly far, but due to Andy's incessant complaining, the trip felt far longer than it actually was.

"But what if everyone else wants to ride bikes, and I'm the only one who doesn't have one?"

Art inhaled deeply. "Andrew, it's a late afternoon camping party. I really don't think you boys are going to have time to ride bikes," he gently reminded the boy.

"But what if they do?" Andy repeated him mantra.

Art sighed this time, "Then you call home, and I'll bring your bike over there."

Artie flinched a little at the word "your", but tried not to let it show. That bike was Andy's now, and he'd have to accept that.

As they rounded the next corner, Andy took off for the light brown brick and siding house, about three-quarters down the block.

Harry was out in front of the house, trying his best to jam a yard sign into the lawn, while his mother tied balloons to the mailbox post. "Andy!," the boy squealed when his best friend came into view. He greeted Andy enthusiastically, and kept that excitement when the rest of the Abrams arrived.

"Hey Artie," Harry called out, only slightly more subdued than the minute before. He knew what happened a year ago, and that today was a sad day for Artie and his family, even if it was the happiest day of the year for him. Harry had cried a little when he heard about the accident, not just because it was scary, and Artie was his best friends brother, but because he really liked the older boy...looked up to him, thought he was cool._ "Sorry you got hurt on my birthday,"_ was the first thing Harry said to Artie when he saw him for the first time, after the accident.

"Hi Harry," Artie returned, smiling genuinely, "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," he replied, lips twitching upward, as well.

Kelly, Harry's mother, smiled at the exchange before walking over to greet her friends. She hugged Alicia first. It was a lingering embrace that gave each women both the comfort they needed so much, as well as the time to compose themselves, before parting.

She turned to him next, and offered a completely genuine grin. "Hi, Artie."

Artie was well aware that Mrs. Kim was still harboring some misdirected feelings of responsibility over the accident. So many people were; his Mom, his Dad, her...and he didn't like it. Didn't like anyone feeling guilty over something that was in no way, their fault...even if it was her sons party they had been driving to, when it happened.

But before he could even finish the, "Hi, Mrs. Kim," he was responding with, she was kneeling beside him and wrapping her arms around his small frame.

"You doing okay, today?" she asked softly, for his ears only.

"Yeah," he replied, then discretely glanced over his shoulder. "Mom is too...at least so far."

Giving a nod of understanding, Kelly scanned the front lawn, her gaze finally landing on the two boys running around, laughing.

"Mom, I need Harry's present," Andy called out as he raced toward the stroller, where the package was nestled inside the basket.

"You know we'd love to have you too," Kelly felt compelled to tell him, though the offer was entirely sincere.

Artie nodded. As much as he would have loved to say yes, the offer alone was enough for him. "Thanks, Mrs. K," he beamed back at her, appreciatively.

A wave of deja vu, hit her. She should have known Artie would decline; exactly as his did the year before, in favor of helping his mother clean up the bathroom mess they'd left to get Andy to the party on time. There wasn't a moment that went by where Kelly didn't wish he would have said yes, or that she would have offered to bring Andy home _that_ day, or anything that might have changed the outcome. Standing, she gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, before crossing the few steps back over to the Abrams.

"Are you sure you don't mind him spending the night?" Alicia asked, reluctant to hand over Andy's bag just yet.

"You know I wouldn't have offered if I did," Kelly reassured her with a smile.

Alicia glanced up at Art before nodding. "Thank you," she whispered, not trusting her voice to do anything but.

...

By the time they arrived home, it was close to three.

Alicia seemed to be getting increasingly anxious by the minute, as was Artie, while Art was at a complete loss. "Should we watch a movie?" he asked offhandedly, hoping that would prove to be the distraction everyone was searching for.

They both nodded, Artie waiting for his mother to sit down on the couch, before preparing to transfer next to her. Once the transition was complete, Alicia looped one arm around Artie's waist and shifted him until she was holding him against her.

Art chose a Disney movie, family oriented, but nothing overly emotional. He briefly considered joining them on the couch, but opted instead to take Abbey with him to the plush chair diagonal to them.

It wasn't long before the tears started pooling in Alicia's eyes, causing a lump to form in Art's throat. He wanted more than anything to wrap his wife and son up in his arms and take away all their sadness and pain, but he knew he couldn't. They needed to deal with this alone, together. So, lifting a slightly fussy Abbey from her infant seat, he walked to the back of the room, where they could have their privacy, but his presence would still be known.

_3:37pm_

Alicia's breath caught in her throat, and Artie snuggled as close to her as he could get. Placing his head against her chest, and his small hand in hers, he squeezed gently and lifted his expressive blue eyes to hers.

"I love you, Mom."

...

Throughout the rest of the evening, Art took care of Abbey, whipped up a light, easy dinner, and intercepted the numerous phone calls from concerned family members, wondering how the day had gone for them.

However, not long after dinner, the tables had turned and it was Art helping Artie with his nightly routine, while Alicia went to feed a very hungry Abbey.

"You ready for bed, Ace?" he asked upon entering his sons bedroom, once the boy had returned from the bathroom.

Artie nodded affirmatively. "I was going to read a book, but I'm kind of tired," he replied, the weariness evident in his voice.

Art flashed a supportive smile. "Yeah, it's been a long day," he agreed, sighing slightly as he moved to help the boy into bed. "Here," he added, offering over the small half tablet of muscle relaxant in the cupped palm of his right hand, while reaching for the bottled of water on the nightstand, with his left.

Artie took the pill without hesitation. He knew he'd need it, if not right that minute, then very shortly. The quick shower he took earlier, helped a little, but the muscles he could feel, were tight, and his legs seemed a bit stiff when he was maneuvering them onto his bed. Then again, after the day he'd had, who could blame him?

Art silently went through the motions of Artie's nighttime routine...stretching and massaging the boy's legs to promote good circulation and flexibility, among other things. While his movements continued, his mind wandered. He couldn't keep the memories of that day, from flooding his mind. Fragments from the moment he got the phone call, the second he arrived at the hospital, seeing his little boy in the emergency room, to getting the news that would change everything...

"Dad?"

Pulled from his reverie by the sound if his title, Art took a moment to study his son, and was amazed at how far they'd, Artie especially, had come this past year. The slightly questioning look he was being given, made the grin that had faded, return...even wider than before.

"I have something for you," Art stated as he gently placed a pillow underneath Artie's knees, before reaching into the side pocket of his shorts. "It's supposed to replace the one that got ruined..." His words trailed off as he extended his arm.

Artie reached out and grasped the brand new baseball. He turned it around in his hand, his eyes widening exponentially.

"I picked it up when we went to that minor league game a few weeks back," Art went on to explain. He knew how disappointed Artie was after learning they wouldn't be able to take their annual trip to Cincinnati, so he figured the next best thing would be a local game, just him and the boys. What he didn't figure on, was Andy complaining the entire time about having to sit in the "bad" accessible section now, or Artie's view being obstructed by the very large man sitting in front of him, whenever a good play was made, or him pouring his heart out to the souvenir clerk while he was looking for something special for Artie, or that man promising to "take care of everything".

"It came in the mail today," he added casually, not exactly sure how the gift was going be received on _this_ day. "I think the whole team signed it."

"Wow Dad, thanks," Artie gasped in reply, beaming. He'd never had an autographed, anything, before.

Pleased, Art nodded, then leaned forward to kiss the top of his son's head, while simultaneously pulling the blanket up over the boy. "You're welcome, Ace."

"Night. I love you."

"I love you too, buddy."

Watching the exchange from the doorway, Alicia smiled. And cried. Out of the corner of his eye, Art spotted her and waved her in. As they passed one another, Art mentioned finishing some stuff up before going to bed; though he figured Alicia probably wouldn't make it there. Artie needed her, and she needed him.

No more than a beat later, Art heard Artie ask if Abbey was asleep, and smiling to himself, he went downstairs.

At his mother's nod, Artie frowned. "Awww, I didn't get to tell her goodnight," he groaned softly.

"But you kissed her three times before I came up here to feed her," Alicia countered, almost playfully, and he grinned innocently at her.

Their eyes locked, blue on blue. There was so much emotion there, so much Alicia wanted to say to him, to do...but didn't quite get the chance. For as soon as she was done lovingly brushing his bangs from his forehead, Artie grabbed her hand, much like he used to do at the hospital, and squeezed.

"Stay with me tonight, Mom?"

...

ANx2...Longest chapter ever...and I dedicate it to Megan. Happy(belated) Brithday, Woman! Not quite 5900 words, but close enough:D


	39. Chapter 39

**_An authors note..On a roll people! So happy to finally be getting this chapter up. Thank you to everyone who left such kind words and amazing reviews during my unintentional hiatus...it is really nice to hear how much this story is liked. With that being said, enjoy this one:D  
_**

_**Disclaimer-Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers.**_

_**Let It Be**_

As much as the day of, and week leading up to the first anniversary of the accident took out of them, it also brought the Abrams that much closer together. While Art, and Alicia especially, had grieved for Artie's hardships they knew the outcome could have been so much worse; and they were beyond grateful to have their little boy with them, happy and healthy.

The rest of July had flown by, and now entering the third week of August, back-to-school was right around the corner.

"Why do I have to go to the doctor? I'm not sick," Andy grumbled over his breakfast, once he heard their plans for the day.

"It's just a checkup for school," Alicia explained, "You had one last year."

Andy's eyes became wide as saucers. "I don't have to get any shots, do I?" he asked, alarmed.

Alicia let out a small chuckle, followed by a comforting smile. "No Sweetheart, no shots this year. That was only for Kindergarten."

"Don't feel bad Andy," Artie began glumly, as he mixed his cereal into his milk, "I have to got to two doctors today."

"No you don't," Alicia intoned, grinning at him. "Dr. Murphy said he would perform the physical as part of your year followup anyway, so you'll just go to him today."

Artie smiled, an expression relief washing over his adorable face. However, that feeling didn't last very long. "But you said we had three appointments today," he returned questioningly. Alicia's gazed shifted slightly, causing the young boy to gasp audibly. "Abbey too?"

"Four month check up," she answered, nodding.

"With shots?"

"I'm afraid so."

Artie glanced sympathetically at the happily unaware Abbey seated on their mothers lap, and let out a sigh, "Poor baby."

...

The trip to the pediatrician went rather smoothly, considering Abbey received four shots, and only whimpered once. The trio then met up with Art for a quick lunch; after which, Andy and Abbey were dropped off at Alicia's parents house, and the remaining headed to St. Rita's Medical Center for Artie's checkup.

Sitting in the waiting area, Artie wondered if he should be nervous. He never really cared for going to the doctor before, especially his allergist, or much for being sick; but Dr. Murphy was different, and this past year taught him that there were just some things you could not control.

Artie actually enjoyed coming to this office; the staff was always friendly, and Dr. Murphy was awesome. But if he were to choose, his favorite thing would have to be the scale that allowed him to simply roll up onto the platform to be weighed.

"Fifty seven point eight pounds."

"Is that with my chair?"

The nurse smiled at the young boy and shook her head. "Nope, without," she replied, stepping over to the examination table Artie was lying on. "Do you remember how we figure that out?"

Nodding dutifully, Artie said, "You weigh me in my chair, then my chair by itself, and subtract that number from the first."

"That's correct," she praised as she took out a pen. "Now let's see how tall you've gotten." Grinning at Artie's exuberant nod, the nurse got to work marking the paper lining the table; one at the head, then gently manipulating his leg and foot straight, one at the heel. "Forty..," the drawn out hesitation wasn't intentional, but had Artie nearly shaking with anticipation, "...nine and three quarter inches."

A small squeal escaped his lips, that was followed by a heavy sigh of relief. Alicia returned the smile her son was giving her. It was impossible to not notice the delight on his face, even if the reason behind it wasn't common knowledge to everyone in the room. Artie's happiness stemmed from the fact that he was still taller than his little brother...even if it was only by an inch and a half.

Just as the nurse was finishing up her preliminary exam, there was a soft knock on the door. "Hey there, Kiddo," Dr. Murphy greeted from the doorway, then stepped over to Alicia and Art, and offered his hand.

Artie beamed his brightest smile. "Hi Dr. M."

"Did he pass all of his tests?" the doctor jokingly asked his nurse.

"With flying colors," she replied, playing along. "The best patient I've had all day.

"That's what I like to hear," Dr. Murphy added as he browsed through the chart in his hands. "How's your summer going?"

"Good," Artie answered with a nod.

"Do anything fun?"

"Went swimming a lot."

"That sounds like fun," the doctor commented, standing. "You excited to start fourth grade?"

Artie gave a small shrug in response, but his smile remained. "I guess...a little." And he was, though he was really going to miss being home with his Mom and baby sister everyday.

Dr. Murphy let out a small chuckle as he closed the folder, placing it on the counter to his left. "How's everything else going?" he asked, this time acknowledging the parents as well as the patient. Of course he was referring to not only medical issues that may have arisen, but also the recent passing of the first anniversary of the accident.

"Pretty good," Alicia chimed in, rather pleased sounding.

Nodding in approval, Dr. Murphy turned back to Artie, and resumed his examination. "How's the pain?" he asked palpitating the boy's back.

"Okay," Artie supplied, a little too quickly.

The doctor quirked a brow questioningly, but continued on. "And spasms?"

To Artie's simple shrug of confirmation, Alicia added, "They're about the same...no change in either frequency, or intensity."

Another slight nod from the doctor. "Very good."

The rest of the assessment went much the same way, Dr. Murphy asking questions while examining, with the Abrams answered truthfully and casually; on everything from urine output to sleeping patterns. Gone were the days of that self-conscious, overwhelming feeling. This past year had taught them so much, and whether they wanted to or not, they now knew everything there was to know...or did they?

"Well, it looks like you get an A plus, young man," Dr. Murphy exclaimed as he assisted Artie back into a seated position. The little boy giggled, blushing a little. Both Alicia and Art looked pleased, and very, very proud of their son. "The latest scans look great, PT is on track, no major issues or concerns. With that being said, it looks like you're ready to progress to next _step_ of the rehabilitation process...quite literally, as a matter of fact."

Artie threw a questioning glance at his parents, who looked equally curious.

Dr. Murphy grinned at the boy's reaction. "It's standard practice, once a patient has healed enough, to start working on strengthening the upper body in preparation to begin standing and..."

Alicia's soft gasp cut him off.

"Standing?" Artie interjected, thoroughly confused now. "But I thought you said I'd never be able to."

Regarding the young boy and his parents in the gentlest manner possible, Dr. Murphy offered a warm smile to all. "That's true, and on your own, you won't be able to. You are going to need to work very hard to get strong enough, and that might take a while before you to get to that point; but with the help of your therapists, and some pretty awesome leg braces, you'll get there."

Dr. Murphy followed Artie's gaze over to the seat of his chair where the knee-to-ankle splint like orthotics were lying. The items in silent question were simply used to assure the proper growth of the bones in Artie's lower legs, not nearly the caliber he would require to keep him upright. "You'll get new braces, full leg, from the upper thigh to the foot. They will most likely be made of metal and plastic, with a special knee hinge that will lock when you straighten it." Dr. Murphy could see all of this information at once, was a bit overwhelming for the trio. "I'm sure that Mark will be happy to explain all of this at your next physio appointment. I'm just here to give you your _walking_ papers," he concluded, throwing a conspiratorial wink at his patient .

Artie's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Wait. Like real walking?" he asked through his gasp.

Dr. Murphy grinned. "Well, not in the sense of how it was before. What we're working toward is ambulation; being able to get from point A to point B using the strength for your upper body, with the assistance of braces, parallel bars, and eventually forearm crutches."

The Abrams could hardly believe what they were hearing, and neither could Artie. He'd seen it done hundreds of time at physio, but never once believed that could be him. "How long does a process like this usually take?" Art asked, the only one out of the three who was able to find his voice at the moment.

"Like I said, you'll probably get more detailed answers from the staff at the center," Dr. Murphy teased playfully. "However, from the experience I've had with my other patients, it usually takes a few months for them to buildup the strength and endurance. Of course with a child as young as Artie, my estimate would be somewhere around the six month mark."

Catching the gaze of both his parents after silently calculating in his head, Artie's face suddenly split into the biggest grin ever. "Wouldn't it be awesome if Abbey I learned how to walk together?"

Alicia could no longer hold back her amazement or excitement, and she rushed over to hug her son. "That would be the best thing ever, Sweetie."

...

_**ANx2...Hope this was worth the wait:D I would like to note that while I always try to be as accurate as possible, I may have taken some liberties with the info(especially timelines) in this chapter. It was all done for the sole purpose of setting the stage for what is to come in future chapters. I hope you understand:D  
**_


	40. Chapter 40

**_An authors note..Sorry for any confusion the last chapter may have caused, that was not my intention. I hope the next few chapters will clear up any issues, and as always, if there are ever any questions that arise, feel free to PM me with them. I apologize for the long span between updates. Life is incredibly busy, but I will work on being more consistent. Thanks for sticking with me!  
_**

_**Let It Be**_

While the visit with Dr. Murphy left the Abrams with a few more questions than answers, there wasn't much time to dwell on the news they'd just received. The rest of their questions would surely be answered by Artie's therapists, and right now, Alicia had a more pressing situation to attend to.

"Um Mom?" Turning on her heel toward the sound of her most precious title, Alicia was met with a slightly distraught Artie. "I think my pants are too small."

Pursing her lips together to hide the smirk that was threatening to break through, Alicia knelt down in front of her son to inspect the article of clothing in question. Even without the visual aid of having socks and shoes on, it was obvious that Artie had outgrown this particular pair...in length at least. "Yes, I do believe they are," she replied, matter of fact.

"They were fine when I put them on in bed, but as soon as I got into my chair, they did...this," he went on to explain, even though he really didn't have to.

Alicia flashed him a loving smile. "It looks like the majority of that growing you did, happened over this summer," she quipped playfully, as she rose to her feet.

Artie tried to return the gesture, but just couldn't. "I didn't try these on yet, but they're the same size," he stated regretfully, holding up the pair of navy chinos sitting in his lap, "so are the ones in my closet, and some of them had buttons on the back pockets."

"Well, you definitely can't wear any of those," Alicia confirmed what Artie already knew. "We're just going to have to go to the store today, and buy you some new ones."

The boy frowned, just a little more than concerned that his parents were going to have replace his current school dress code with a brand new one. "You can't fix these?"

"No Sweetie. There's not enough of a hem on these to make much of a difference," Alicia replied, though noticing the way the fabric seemed to fit rather tightly across his knees, the length was only part of the problem. Alicia sensed her sons distress, and quickly added, "But no worries, we can pass these right down to Andy."

"Does that mean I don't hafta go shopping?" the younger boy asked, already sounding relieved.

"Not unless you're planning on giving me a hard time about wearing your brother's hand-me-downs," Alicia intoned warningly.

Andy shrugged indifferently. "Nope."

"Good, then it's settled," she announced before turning her attention back to Artie. After a moments pause, and one more glance at her son's broadening shoulders, Alicia then suggested he try on his shirts as well..._before_ they left for the mall.

...

Young Artie Abrams never had a particular dislike for shopping, especially since it gave him and his mother some extra quality time together. Since his accident however, there was one shopping related term he feared more than any other...fitting room.

"May we try these on, please?"

As he heard the words come out of his mothers mouth, Artie cringed. It wasn't like he couldn't dress or undress himself, and he knew his mother would be there to assist if needed; but the thought alone, of having to change in a public setting, especially with the slightly sympathetic, slightly curious way the store employee was looking at him, was nearly unbearable. "Do I have to, Mom?"

His voice was so quiet, it was a wonder Alicia even heard him at all. Dropping her gaze, she knelt down before her son. "Well, we really should see which size fits you better in length, before we buy them."

He knew she was right, but it didn't make him feel any less self-conscious. Artie also knew that while it would be a hassle for him to try the pants on there, it would be even more of a hassle to buy both pairs, go home to try them on, just to turn right back around to exchange the ones that didn't fit, for the ones that did. "Okay," he reluctantly agreed.

"Would you like me to come in with you?" she asked his permission before entering the only handicapped stall in the children's fitting rooms.

"Yes please," Artie replied, smiling up appreciatively at her.

Any reservations he had were for naught, and before he knew it, his mother had his shoes off and was asking him to push up on his arm rests with his hands. "Let's get this done quick," Alicia quipped playfully as she expertly swapped his shorts out with a crisp new pair of khakis.

She left the fastening to Artie, and smiled, looking very pleased that the first pair of pants he tried on, seemed to fit perfectly. Bending forward to smooth out the legs, which ended right at the top of Artie's feet, Alicia's smile widened. "First pair, and they fit like a glove," she announced happily.

Artie grimaced slightly. "Well almost," he corrected, glancing down at the large gap in the generously sized waist.

"Oh," she hummed, throwing a discarded glance at the other pair, one size larger than the one her son currently had on, "this might be a problem."

While Artie had gained back most of the weight he'd lost after the accident, he'd also grown quite a bit in the past year, and was still thin as a rail. Alicia was aware that this might not be an issue for Artie in the future, since lower abdominal muscles tended to bulge slightly from disuse as one ages...yet another reason to help Artie keep as physically fit as possible...right now though, it was definitely going to be a problem.

Helping him back into his shorts, Alicia set out for the closest sales associate. "Do these come in a slimmer fit?" she asked the employee who had helped them earlier. "These are just a bit too big in the waist."

"Sorry," the young man replied regretfully. "Slim is exclusive to the girls department. Boys sizes come in regular and husky sizes only." Alicia frowned, disappointed. "But if it's just the waist, we do have a large selection of belts to choose from," he offered, waving his hand with a flourish to the rack behind them.

Alicia was less than thrilled at the prospect of Artie having to wear a restrictive clothing item around an area he couldn't feel, but it wasn't as if either of them had much of a choice. "Looks like you're going to need a belt or two," she told her son before suggesting, "But they'll still need to be loose fitting and not restricting, which means your pants might still end up being a little big."

"I could probably tuck my shirts in too," Artie, quick thinking, suggested.

Alicia smiled down at her son and nodded, "Yes, you probably could," before leaving him to peruse the rack while she grabbed a few more pairs of pant and the shirts they had come there for.

"I just thought of something," she announced as she returned to her son's side. "I bet Grandma could take the waist in on these pants, so that they'll fit you better."

"Or I could just get these," he countered, belts in lap and holding up a pair of bright red suspenders; wearing the first genuine grin since they arrived at the mall.

"Suspenders?"

"Yep," Artie exclaimed. "That way my pants will never slip down, and Grandma won't have to make them smaller so you can still give them to Andy when they get too short on me."

Alicia beamed at her son. How could she ever argue with that logic...or resist that beautiful smile?

...

_**ANx2...I'm on a roll tonight!**_

_**ANx3...And that my friends, is how Arthur John Abrams III began the epic fashion statement of wearing belts, tucked shirts, AND suspenders. Artie's first pair of bright red suspenders dedicated to Megan:D **_

_**ANx4...Happy 2013 everyone! **_


	41. Chapter 41

**_An authors note...Two updates in two days again...must be some kind of New Year's miracle;) Actually, there was such an amazing response to the last chapter, that I wanted to reward you with another. Thank you all SO much for your continued support!  
_**

**_Disclaimer-_****_Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**  


_**Let It Be**_

Artie's favorite part of the day was always coming home from school. But now he was not only met with a smile and kiss from his Mom, but also adorable excited squeals from his baby sister. It made everything better...well almost.

The first few weeks of fourth grade was definitely proving to be different from the third grade. Unfortunately, that different wasn't necessarily a good thing. When he'd returned to school after the accident, Artie was met with curious glances, questions, and kids who at least sometimes, gave him the time of day. Now with the novelty of his disability, or whatever it was, worn off, Artie spent most of his time being completely ignored by almost every student in the school.

Another thing that was different this school year as opposed to the previous one, was that Artie was finally given permission by the school board to attend recess outside with his class; weather permitting, of course. Alicia fought hard for that basic right, over the summer, and hoped the reward would be giving the other kids another opportunity to interact with her son...to see how much he was still like them.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't work out the way she'd hoped.

Artie liked this corner of the playground. Here he could be bathed in the right amount of sunlight, while still getting enough shade to protect him and make it easy to read. He was close enough to the building for fast entry in case the weather turned on him, and he was right next to the playground, which made him feel a little more included. It was the perfect spot.

He had just turned the page into a somewhat dull chapter of his current book when he heard squeals and Ms. Phillips, the school nurse's, voice ring out from behind him. "Girls, please stop swinging high. It's not safe."

Artie turned his head over his left should and smiled. Maybe those girls were swinging a little bit too high; but boy, did it look like fun. Just as he was turning back, there was a blur of color to his right. He barely had enough time to react and suddenly he was keening sideways, hands braced and ready.

The actual impact didn't hurt, well not immediately. What did hurt, however, was the gruff, "Hey, you made me miss my catch," that followed.

Almost immediately, Ms. Phillips was at his side. "Oh my gosh. Artie, are you okay?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"I think so," the boy managed to croak out as he took inventory of his injuries. He was lying on his left arm, the elbow definitely stinging underneath him.

"What happened here, David?" Ms. Phillips asked, turning her attention to the other boy in question, standing next to her.

"I was just going for the ball and he got in my way," he explained, still annoyed at missing his catch.

"I always sit here," Artie painfully grumbled under his breath.

Ms. Philips sighed and placed a comforting hand on Artie's shoulder. "You know all ball playing is supposed to be done on the soccer field," the nurse reminded them equally, "not the blacktop."

A quick nod from David, and he was off to retrieve his ball; though the same swiftness couldn't be said for Artie. He tried shifting again before realizing he was still buckled into his chair. Reaching down to release the seat belt, Artie instantly felt the sting of the abrasions on his palm, and hissed.

"Should we call an ambulance?"

Shock and fear gripped him. Artie immediately looked up at the male figure, assistant principal Mr. Johnson, and shook his head. "No please. I'm okay, really," he pleaded.

There was a larger group amassing around the scene, but luckily, some of the staff members had enough sense to begin shooing the kids back to the playground while the other adults helped Artie get situated back into his chair. "Let's get you checked out in my office," Ms. Phillips suggested soothingly.

Artie nodded, folding his raw hands into his lap and lowering his chin to his chest. He wasn't sure who handed his book back to him, and really didn't care...he was just working on trying not to cry, until they got into the building.

...

Ms. Phillips had barely even started tending to Artie's scrapes when there was a soft knock on her door. "Oh, Mr.s Abrams."

Alicia nodded her greeting as she stepped into the office and gently placed Abbey's infant carrier down on the floor. "Hey Honey."

"Hi Mom," Artie returned, hoping it sounded stronger than he currently felt.

"You okay?" she cooed, pulling up a chair and taking a seat next to him.

Not wanting to meet his mother's eyes, Artie glanced away and fixed his gaze on his sleeping baby sister. The sight almost made him smile. "I'm fine," he answered softly.

Alicia flashed him a comforting smile. "You didn't hit your head, did you?"

At Artie's definitive no, the nurse jumped in to explain. "I had just finished bandaging the scrape on his elbow when you walked in, and was just about to start on his hands."

"Your hands?" Alicia intoned sympathetically. She reached out for him, turning his palms up. "Oh Sweetheart."

"It's not so bad," he countered, glancing down at the angry red abrasions covering the inside of his hands.

"I made sure to wash and treat those before tending to anything else," Ms. Phillips declared. "I was just waiting for the ointment to dry before wrapping them."

Alicia gave another nod, this one in appreciation. It didn't take long before something else caught her eye, and she began to gently lift the corner of the towel draped over her son's lap. "Your knee too?"

"Sorry about my pants," he apologized regretfully, as he studied the now ruined article of clothing.

"Don't be silly," Alicia scoffed lovingly, "we can always replace those." She tried to assure him with a smile, but it fell short at the more pressing issue."Artie...

As soon as his name left her lips and Artie's gaze fell to where his mothers had landed; on the wet spot rapidly spreading across the towel, his shoulders slumped and his chin began to tremble. "That must have just happened," he murmured softly, "I didn't have a chance to check it before."

"I'll take care of it," Alicia assured him, cupping his cheek while she simultaneously pressed a kiss to his forehead. "We'll have you cleaned up, changed, and on your way home in no time."

"No Mom, wait," Artie interjected pleadingly, catching his mother's attention almost immediately. "I can't go home, yet. I still have a math and spelling test to take today."

Alicia's expression softened, and she flashed him a tender smile. "I'm sure that's something your teacher will have no problem rescheduling. She'll understand."

"But I want to stay."

Feeling her stomach twist into a knot, Alicia let out a soft sigh. "I know, but we should really get you to the doctor."

"I'll be fine," Artie insisted, glancing up at the clock to see there was now less than two hours left of school. "Please, Mom?"

...

Looking up from her desk, seasoned fourth grade teacher Sherri Spencer was surprised to see her brightest student appear in her doorway. "Artie?" she called, stepping out from behind her desk. "I heard what happened, and I must say, I'm a little surprised to see you still here."

But then again, maybe she shouldn't have been.

"I wanted to stay and take my tests," the boy replied, a little disheartened when he glanced around the room to find it empty. "Am I too late?"

Mrs. Spencer smiled down at her pupil. "No, not at all," she assured him. "The rest of the class just went down for gym. You can make up your math test while they're there, then take the spelling test with them, when they return."

Artie gave a satisfactory nod, then moved his hands from his lap, to the rims of his chair.

"Are your hands okay?" the teacher asked, eying the bandaged appendages suspiciously.

"The nurse put some numbing spray on them, so they don't hurt so bad right now," he answered casually, and with an indifferent shrug.

"Would it be alright if I helped you to your desk anyway?" Mrs. Spencer asked sincerely in return. Artie smiled and nodded shyly before gently placing his hands back in his lap.

After he was handed a test, he fished a pencil out of his desk, then paused. It was a bit ironic, but sitting there by himself, glancing around the empty classroom once again, Artie Abrams suddenly didn't feel so alone anymore.

...

_**ANx2...******__Please keep in mind that the content of this chapter has been outlined for YEARS, and any similarities to the scene in Glee Actually are purely coincidental(though watching that scene did push me to get this posted). I hope you like it!_


	42. Chapter 42

**_An authors note...I know I should have updated Beauty first, but that chapter is much longer and requires a lot more of my time(which I don't have much of at the moment) Plus I really wanted to get this one up...I do adore me some Artie/Abbey interaction:D Enjoy!  
_**

**_Disclaimer-_****_Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**  


_**Let It Be**_

As summer quickly passed into fall, the Abrams family found themselves busy preparing for the upcoming holiday season. First up was Halloween, and a far cry from the previous year. Gone was the worry about Artie's first day back at home, or his first outpatient physiotherapy session, or his first day back at school. There were a new set of firsts being made, and the Abrams were happy to be focusing on those small, joyous occasions.

"Six months old today, and guess who I found _standing up_ in her crib, calling for Dada?"

Art's voice rang out proudly throughout the kitchen, causing Alicia's eyes to widen, and her mouth to fall open in disbelief. "Oh my gosh, already?"

"It doesn't seem all that early," Art countered. "Wasn't Artie about the same age when he started talking?"

"Yes, he was," Alicia answered, still a little awestruck. "But I was talking about the standing. I don't recall either of the boys doing that until they were at least nine months. Are you sure she pulled herself all the way up?"

Art let out an amused chuckle as he gently bounced his baby girl on his hip. "She looked completely surprised by it too, and had a death grip on the bars, but she was definitely standing."

Alicia blew out a wistful sigh, as she crossed the distance between them. "I wasn't expecting this so soon...she just mastered sitting on her own not even two weeks ago."

"Should I mark it down on her calendar, Mom?" Artie called out, coasting to a stop near the low counter that doubled as a desk.

"Sure Sweetie, thanks," she replied, flashing him a loving smile.

"And the first word one too?" he asked just a beat later.

Glancing first at her husband for confirmation, Alicia gave a soft laugh that was accompanied by a mock shrug of indifference. "I guess so."

As Artie place both stickers into the tiny box marked 28, he marveled at how the stamps were rapidly filling the pages of this little keepsake; the month of October, having the most so far.

"I'd better be getting to work," Art announced, passing the eager baby to her awaiting mother. "You'll call if she starts reading by lunchtime, right?" he quipped as he placed kisses on both of their cheeks.

"I sure will," Alicia playfully retorted, upping the gesture with a kiss to his lips. "Right now though, I'd better go see what's keeping Andy." Art nodded and stepped aside to let his wife pass.

"I can take her, Mom," Artie offered, gesturing to the happily babbling baby in his mother's arms.

"Thank you, Sweetheart," Alicia returned, handing Abbey back off to Art so he could bring her to Artie.

"You got her okay, Ace?" father asked son once the exchange was complete. Artie nodded, beaming. "Good," Art grinned. "Have a great day at school. I love you," he added with a parting kiss to the top of the boy's head.

While still carefully holding onto his sister, Artie waved after their father. "I will. Thanks, Dad. Love you too," he called out before turning his attention back to the infant beginning to squirm in his lap.

As Artie giggled, Abbey grinned a huge opened mouth smile that showed off the four tiny teeth she'd worked so hard on producing these past two months; two on the bottom, two on the top. He often joked that she should probably wear the pumpkin costume he wore on his first Halloween, instead of the ladybug one he picked out for her to wear. Then again, she was such an cute baby, she'd look adorable in anything.

Abbey squirmed some more, her pudgy little feet finally finding purchase. Artie let out a breathy "Wow" as she began pushing herself upright with his support. He looked on in awe, briefly wondering if the tiny toes pressing into his thighs would hurt or tickle, before quickly dismissing the thought.

"Abbey, you have to slow down a little," Artie spoke to her softly. "I haven't even gotten my braces yet, and you're already standing. I thought we were going to do this together. Right?"

He took the loud squeal of delight she gave as confirmation and laughed when her chubby hands reached out to pat his face. "No Abbey, no glasses," Artie gently scolded, trying to keep her out of reach, but she was too fast.

Alicia couldn't help but smile at the scene she'd returned to the kitchen to find. "Oh Abbigayle, you need to stop eating your brother's glasses," she playfully scolded as she gently pried the item from the baby's tiny grip. "I'll go clean these for you."

"Thanks Mom," Artie chuckled, squinting up at her.

"Your brother should be down in a few minutes," Alicia began, quickly returning the now clean glasses to Artie's face. "Would you mind holding onto Abbey for a little bit longer while I finish getting your lunches ready?" she asked, placing a few toys and a small bowl of Cheerios on to the table in front of them, to be used as a distraction should she try to go for his glasses again.

"Yeah, sure," Artie agreed readily. He was always eager to spend as much time with his baby sister as he could. They'd only gotten through four Cheerios and one discarded teether before he found himself asking, "Mom, when do most babies start walking?"

"Right around their first birthday," Alicia answered, matter of fact.

"Is that how old I was?" he inquired, unable to recall what it said in his own baby book, at the moment.

"About," she replied, "You had actually just turned thirteen months." At Artie's nod, Alicia smiled. "Andy took even longer, he was almost fifteen months old."

Artie's lips began to spread into a satisfactory smile, and not because this development confirmed his suspicion that his brother had always a lazy child, but that now this meant that he'd have at least six more months before Abbey would be walking.

That was right on schedule with the timeline his doctor and therapist had given him.

...

Three days later it was Halloween, and things were about to get a bit chaotic in the Abrams house.

"Mom, why don't you put her in there?" Artie asked, pointing at the pink car-like contraption sitting in the middle of the kitchen.

"I'm not sure she's ready for it," Alicia replied, eying the newly borrowed baby walker contemplatively. "I haven't even baby-proofed the house yet."

"I'll watch her," he assured his mother, as he tried to keep his mind off of the somewhat bad day he had at school. Some of the kids were giving him a hard time about his costume choice; apparently you are not allowed to dress up like Spider-man if you have a disability, because superheroes are not suppose to be in wheelchairs.

Playing with Abbey, however, always managed to cheer him up.

Alicia smiled and nodded. "Okay, but make sure all the doors are closed, especially the bathroom and basement, and try to keep her on the hardwood; she could tip over if she gets caught up on the carpet."

Artie grinned. He knew a thing or two about wheels on carpet and difficulties with uneven surfaces. As Alicia reluctantly lowered Abbey into the seat, Artie announced, "C'mon Abbs, lets race," and within seconds, the baby was zooming around the room, bouncing off of furniture and walls...a laughing Artie not far behind.

"There, she's saying it again," Art bellowed, then glanced pointedly over at Alicia. "You had to have heard it this time."

Listening carefully to their babbling daughter, Alicia smirked playfully. "I'm sorry Sweetheart, but I don't think she's saying Dada."

"Of course she is," he countered smugly.

"No Art, she's saying Ah-da."

"Ah-da , Dada...it's the same thing."

"Um, no it's not?" She directed his gaze over to where Abbey was, hot on the wheels of her big brother. "This would explain why I've never heard her say it when you're in the room. She's not calling you Art, she's calling..."

Art grinned and gave a nod of realization as he finished off Alicia's sentence, "Artie."

...

_**ANx2...Thank you to all who have read, alerted, favorited, and reviewed. I appreciate the feedback more than you know. **_


	43. Chapter 43

**_An authors note...I am so happy to finally be posting this chapter. I've had this idea running through my head since the beginning, and am thrilled to be here. Please read and review. Enjoy!  
_**

**_Disclaimer-_****_Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**  


_**Let It Be**_

Artie was nervous, and not the good fluttery-butterflies-in-your-stomach nervous, but the oh-God-I-hope-I-don't-throw-up kind of nervous. Over the past few weeks, he'd been measured and remeasured and fitted and refitted, but now it was finally time to put those braces to use and stand...and Artie was terrified.

The whole family was there. Art stood off to side holding Abbey on his hip, with a disinterested looking Andy right next to him; while Alicia stayed close to Artie so she could learn everything she need to know about this new chapter in her son's recovery.

Artie tried to pay attention, but there was just so much information being thrown at him. There were so many steps to go through to simply stand up. He didn't remember it being this complicated before.

There was a current flurry of activity around him; two physiotherapists, an aide, and his mother. There was also the in house registered nurse standing by, just in case. That was something making Artie even more nervous. He and his family had been informed, early on, of the potential for certain issues to arise from this particular exercise due to Artie's impaired circulatory system. The possibility of his blood pressure spiking dangerously high, or the opposite and plummeting and him passing out, was not exactly something he was looking forward to.

But they had yet to even get that far. At the moment he was still being strapped into his braces. "...and then we have to check to make sure the straps are secure, but not so restricting they interfere with movement or interrupt blood flow."

"Artie?"

The boy was snapped out of his reverie by the voice of his physiotherapist, Mark. "See?" the man asked, repeating the process he had just shown Alicia on how to properly attach the Velcro straps of the braces. Feeling a comforting hand on his back, Artie nodded, then looked up at the owner of that hand.

"You okay?" Alicia whispered as she crouched down to his level. Artie forced a smile and gave another silent nod, just as it was announced that it was time to get started.

Nearly forgetting how to make his arms work, Artie somehow got himself to the far end of the parallel bars. There was more talking over one another as everyone got into place.

"I'll be right here in front of you," Mark reminded him, taking a seat on the wheeled stool parked on the inside of the bars. "Amanda will be right behind you," he added, motioning to the colleague behind Artie's chair, before acknowledging the two others poised on the outside of the bars. "Jen will be on your right, and your Mom on your left."

Artie nodded appreciatively at the encouraging glances he was given. He scooted forward in his seat when instructed and watched Mark remove his feet from the footrest, and position them onto the floor. It was then he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, his father shift Abbey to his other hip and bring the video camera up to view.

"Umm, Dad? Maybe you shouldn't record yet," Artie intoned, his voice wavering slightly. Of course his biggest fear was not being strong enough or able to do it, but he was also afraid of falling flat on his face, and really did not want that preserved for all eternity.

"Are you kidding?" Art asked incredulously, "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Heaving a steadying sigh, Artie swallowed the dread building up in his throat, and turned his attention back to Mark. "Okay, now just how we explained," the therapist instructed, and soon little hands were gripping the bars. "Now lean forward a little more. That's it. Find your center...aaand push up. Okay, now a little more. You can do this, Kiddo. Redistribute your weight. Push up a little more. You're almost there..."

Artie heard the telltale click, but everything else was muffled. He tried focusing on something other than Mark's shoes, but his ears were buzzing and his arms were shaking and sweat was beading on his forehead.

"You okay, Buddy?"

"Artie?"

"Okay, get him down."

And suddenly he was tilted back in his chair, his head cradled in Amanda's lap, blood pressure cuff being thrust onto his arm. "Slow, easy breaths," the therapist's soft, soothing voice called out. The ceiling finally came into focus and Artie managed a small nod.

"He's good now," a voice to the right of them declared about a minute later.

"Do you think you're ready to try sitting upright?" Amanda asked, not long after that.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Artie replied, hoping there was at least a hint of confidence in his weak sounding voice.

"Okay, slowly," Amanda warned, easing his chair back onto all four wheels.

Artie expected to see Mark first, but instead found himself face to face with his mother; the therapist now standing directly behind her. It was then that the tears began pooling in his eyes. "Mom, I didn't..."

"Yes you did," she managed to rasp out through her emotion.

"But it was only for a few seconds," he countered, disappointment painfully evident because he wasn't even sure it had been that long.

"Sweetheart," Alicia began, scooting closer so she could grasp his hands, "you just accomplished something that we never thought you'd be able to do again. Artie, you stood up." Tears continued to trickle down, but she was positively beaming. "Maybe it was only for five seconds this time, but next time it'll be ten seconds, and every time after that you'll get a little stronger and go a little longer; until you're making your way across these bars, and finally graduating to those crutches you can't wait to get your hands on." Alicia let out a soft chuckle, and ignored the sting of her own tears, to tenderly wipe Artie's from his cheeks. She cupped his face in her hands. "Sweetie, we are all so very proud of you."

He glanced up to see that pride, along with tears of joy on not only his father's face, but on just about everyone else on his 'team'. "I want to try again."

"Are you sure?" Alicia asked cautiously, glancing over at Mark first, to make sure it was safe to continue.

Artie nodded determinately. "I can do it, Mom," he assured her.

"I know you can, Sweetie," Alicia returned, wrapping her arms around his tiny frame. "I know you can."

...

_**ANx2...I know this one is heavy on the 'emotion', but I think it's justified here...HE STOOD UP! I love writing these little moments/big accomplishments in this family's life so very much, and appreciate all of you coming along on this ride with me.  
**_


	44. Chapter 44

**_An authors note...This chapter may seem a little redundant(even slightly boring for some:( but there are important aspects of this family and their dynamic, that need to be shown now and for future reference. Those of you who follow my other stories will see the correlation soon enough. I appreciate all of your continued support and hope you enjoy reading this.  
_**

**_Disclaimer-_****_Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

_**Let It Be**_

In the weeks that followed, the Abrams family celebrated Thanksgiving and Andy's birthday, and began preparing for Christmas. Abbey had graduated from simply siting up on her own(and occasionally pulling herself up), to scooting, to full on crawling; while Artie made great strides from standing for a few seconds, to a few minutes, to taking those first tedious "steps" along the parallel bars.

Alicia and Art couldn't have been prouder in Artie. Every milestone reached brought about a confidence and tenacity that they had never seen in their son, at least not since he was in rehab. The more he was able to do, the more he wanted to try to do. There was also a level of maturity that far exceeded his years. He knew when he'd had enough, knew when he needed to work harder, and never once complained about any of it.

Because the families were large, and becoming larger every year, getting the entire clan together, sometimes proved difficult. Usually Christmas Eve was spent with Art's side, and Christmas Day with Alicia's; but because there was something special they wanted to share with everyone this year, Alicia offered to have both sides over for Christmas dinner.

With the turkey was in the oven and Abbey peacefully napping, guests started to slowly trickle in. Tom and Kathleen were of course the first ones to arrive, done purposely with the intention of helping Alicia in the kitchen. Then came Alicia's youngest sister Colleen, who had hopes of lulling sixteen month old Elizabeth, or Libby, to sleep; but the twenty-two minute ride over, proved to be too short a trip to be effective. Soon, everyone had arrived and were comfortably assembled in the living room.

"Is it time for presents now?" Andy asked impatiently.

Alicia smiled down at her younger son and shook her head. "Not yet, Sweetie," she intoned, shifting her gaze slightly. "Artie has something to show everyone first."

The younger Abrams boy rolled his eyes, while his older brother just blushed furiously.

"Are you gonna play your guitar, Artie?" almost six year old Lucas asked his cousin.

"Um, maybe later," the boy replied, glancing over at the brand new blue and white electric guitar he'd received that very morning, sitting next to his year old acoustic by the fireplace. "Gramma can play the piano and our Mom's can sing," he suggested.

It was now Alicia's turn to blush.

"Well, why don't we get to it?" she queried both suggestively and dismissively, getting two nods in return.

Art moved in place next to his son, while Alicia disappeared for a minute to retrieve what she needed from behind the office door. A few gasps and a squeal from fourteen year old Jessilyn could be heard upon her return with the aforementioned items.

"Oh my gosh, Artie," Jess squawked again, softly clapping her hands in excitement at what she was old enough to know was about to happen. "You're going to stand up, aren't you."

At the boy's beaming smile, Art explained. "He hasn't had much practice with the crutches, only about a week or so."

"I'm still working at the bars most time," Artie supplied as he began situating himself. "I can get all the way across them now, but I'm having some trouble learning how to turn around. Most times I get myself all twisted and end up falling."

There were a few soft chuckles at his joke. Alicia waited for the signal, then handed him the crutches, one at a time. "But I'm sure it won't be long until he's mastered that too," she stated out loud, then winked encouragingly at her son.

Artie smiled up at his mother, then quickly got to work correctly setting the tips of his crutches onto the floor. When he was ready, he nodded to his parents who moved in, each placing their hand under an arm, bracing to help lever him up. Feeling all eyes on him, he thought it best to explain, "It's a little bit harder to get up on the crutches than it is with the bars, so I still need some help."

His explanation was for naught, however. It didn't matter to them that Artie might require the added assistance of his parents, or that he might not be upright for very long. What did matter was that they, aside from Tom and Kathleen who had already witnessed this feat at the rehab center, were about to see their grandson, nephew, cousin, stand up for the first time in almost a year and a half. For young Libby, it would be the first time ever.

Artie focused all of his attention on the floor in front of him, so much so, he didn't notice the movement at the back of the room. Art did, and from the pained look of disappointment on her face, so did Alicia.

It took a little maneuvering and a bit more effort in levering, but soon, Artie was standing in front of them, smiling at all the faces staring back at him.

"Woah," young Lucas was the first to comment.

Jess's eyes widened and filled with tears, "Artie."

"Cool," cousin Ian concurred.

"That's amazing," Aunt Bridget gasped through her building emotion. The adults in clearly just as much awe as the kids.

"No no, Emma," Uncle Sean called out to his young daughter, just as she began lifting her little hand.

"She can touch," Artie assured both his uncle and cousin, "just as long as she doesn't pull on them."

Smiling, the toddler reached out toward her cousin. "They shiny," she giggled as her tiny finger touched the metal of his crutch.

"They help me stay up," he tried explaining, but at just two and a half years, the little girl simply smiled back up at him.

Of course 'stay up' was the operative term, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Artie's stamina was waning. He scanned the room again, still with no sign of his grandfather, and locked the elbow that was trying to buckle.

"You did great, Sweetie," Alicia's soft voice soon tickled his ear.

"No Mom," Artie whispered back in protest, "I can go a little longer."

"You're arms are starting to shake," she returned pointedly. "You're getting tired, Artie." Resignedly, he agreed and let his parents assist in getting him settled back into his chair.

It was obvious Artie was disappointed, something that gave Art pause. "Great job, Ace," he intoned with a proud clap to the shoulder. "That's the longest you've ever been up with those."

"Yeah, it was good," the boy replied, then gave a slightly half-hearted shrug before glancing back up at his father. "Grandpa missed it."

Something in Art's chest clenched tightly. He met Alicia's gaze for only a second before she had to look away, busying herself with getting Artie situated properly in his chair. It was a subject that Alicia had brought up a few times since the accident, Art Sr.'s apparent difficulty in accepting his grandson's disability. Art thought maybe Alicia was exaggerating a little, or a being bit more sensitive to these things than him. His Dad was never and would never be the affectionate teddy bear, her father Tom was. But now watching for things, seeing how they were having a negative effect on Artie, Art couldn't help but wonder if Alicia was right.

While the crowd convened on them, Art excused himself by offering to put away the crutches and braces Alicia had removed from Artie's legs. He stowed the items in his office, then went further down the hall to check the guest bathroom, before heading through the kitchen to the back deck.

That's where he found his father.

"You missed a great show in there."

A muffled "Uhmmm," was all Art Sr. could manage around the nub of cigar sticking out of his mouth. "I had to use the restroom, then came out here...didn't want to disrupt anything."

Art just nodded. "Artie's been working really hard in rehab. He wasn't even supposed to start learning how to use those crutches until the beginning of the year, but he just couldn't wait. His therapists were so pleased with his progress that when he told them what he wanted to do for Christmas, they jumped at the chance. He wanted to be able to show _everyone _just how far he's come."

"That's great," Senior replied, clearing his throat as he stomped out his cigar, before dropping it into a snow-filled flower pot on his left. "It's important to work hard."

"Dad?" Art called as the older man turned back toward the door. "He wanted _you_ to see it."

"I'll catch it next time," was what he countered dismissively with instead. "What do you say we check to see if that turkey is ready? I'm starving."

Art followed his father back inside. He knew there was a time and place to revisit this subject, but today at Christmas dinner, was not it. And seeing the kids playing and the adults laughing, he knew he'd made the right decision.

_**ANx2...Not at all happy with this ending, but honestly couldn't think of any other way to end it:P **_


	45. Chapter 45

**_An authors note...Skipping ahead a little bit. I'm hoping the jump will reignite some interest in this story. I know it sometimes seems to move slowly, and honestly, if I put in everything I wanted to, we'd probably still be on the aftermath of the accident, this many chapters in;) I'm also hoping to update a little more often(though time is a necessity I don't have much of), to keep you lovely, amazing readers engaged. Thank you for all of your support and loyalty.  
Warning...this chapter contains massive amounts of Artie/Abbey adorableness, read at your own risk.  
_**

**_Disclaimer-_****_Glee is the property of FOX, the creators and the writers. _**

_**Let It Be**_

From the time he was toddler, Artie Abrams had an affinity for anything that had to do with film. Whether it was watching Disney movie marathon on tv, or leisurely paging though a photo album, he loved the feelings it generated inside of him.

Artie's current obsession was recording home videos of his favorite subject, his baby sister.

To say he was surprised his parents agreed to grant him permission to use their prized video camera, when he'd asked shortly after Abbey was born, was an understatement. If questioned about it, Alicia would readily admit it was mostly due to the fact that Artie was a very mature and trustworthy young man, but also because of the adorably assertive way he had offered to, "catch any moments you might miss when you're not around."

One of his own favorite pastimes had always been watching videos of him and Andy over the years, and Alicia knew how important spending time with Abbey was to him. What she wasn't expecting was almost a full tape of video a week.

Artie was nothing if not thorough.

Like most days, he was happy to be home, and thrilled it was finally Friday. The winter felt so long, and Artie was sick of dealing with the cold, and slush, and slop; but this being the last day of February, meant spring was right around the corner...even by Ohio standards.

And like most days, as soon as snack was finished, Artie would retreat to the living room, where Alicia would put Abbey down on the floor in the middle of a pile of toys. She'd play for a few minutes and he would record her, then she would crawl over to his chair and pull herself up.

Smiling, Artie knew what his sister wanted. He put the camera down on the end table next to him, set his brakes, and lowered himself down to the floor. As predicted, Abbey immediately scampered back to her pile of toys, then glanced over at her brother expectantly.

"Okay, okay," Artie chuckled in mock annoyance as he set about crossing the distance between himself and his sister. After first making sure his legs were tucked in the proper position and that he had a clear path free of any toys, pacifiers, or furniture, Artie set his hands in front of him and began scooting his body closer to Abbey. The baby giggled with delight, the closer he got to her; but she remained seated, waiting patiently.

"There," Artie finally said after he'd backed himself against the love seat and arranged his legs. "What do you want to play first?" he asked Abbey.

Chubby hands thrust an even chubbier board book into his hand, and Abbey was soon clamoring into Artie's lap. "I guess you want a story," he laughed, opening the book after he had adjusted her atop his thighs.

No sooner had Artie started reading, did Abbey began crawling away from him. She stopped when he did, but only because she'd reached her destination; her pacifier. Popping the soothing device into her mouth, she then laid her head on the carpet.

Artie remained upright, but cocked his head to the side, mimicking her action. "You tired, baby?" he asked, remembering what Alicia had said about Abbey not quite getting her full nap in, that afternoon.

Abbey grinned at her brother, and just when he thought she was going to lie down right there, she popped back up and began crawling away; looking behind her every few inches to make sure he was watching.

"You know I can't chase you right now, Abs," Artie told her, glancing over to where his chair was. Abbey momentarily followed his gaze, but kept going. "Alright," he relented, sighing playfully, "but it's gonna take me a few minutes."

Readying himself for the arduous trip back to his chair, Artie was momentarily caught off guard. "Wha...," he gasped in disbelief, heart racing and eyes wide. "Mom? Mom hurry," he called out in the next breath, loud enough for Alicia to hear but gentle enough to not startle his sister in her precarious position.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" Alicia returned as she rushed into the living room to find Artie's chair empty and him on the floor, feet away from it. "What's going..."

"The camera," he instructed, motioning to the table near her before nodding in the opposite direction, "I think she's going to do it." Alicia almost couldn't believe her eyes until Artie added, "She took two steps by herself already."

Heaving a breathy sigh, Alicia picked up the camera, intent on handing it over to an eagerly awaiting Artie, but instead changed her mind. "I've got this," she told her son, "see if she'll come to you."

Grinning up at his mother, Artie scooted back against the loveseat and nudged his legs into a v. "Come on Abbey, you can do it," he coaxed, holding his arms open for her.

The baby regarded her brother with a giggle, but seemed firmly planted in place; chubby socked toes digging into the carpet.

"Come on Abbs," he tried again, this time getting a reward in the form of two little steps. Grinning up at his mother, Artie waved his fingers, "Come on."

And she did, only wavering once in excitement when she'd reached her brothers outstretched arms, and promptly fell back onto her padded bottom. Artie scooped up the squealing bundle and hugged her close. "You did it, Abbey. You did it."

...

The day had wound down into evening, but not the excitement. "I still can't believe it," Artie gushed in delight as Alicia was tucking him in for the night. "She did so good." Alicia smiled down at him and nodded as he kept talking. "You think this is it, Mom?" he wondered out loud, since the next few times they tried that evening, Abbey only succeeded in four or five wobbly steps. He was chalking it up to her being over tired.

"I think she's well on her way," Mrs. Abrams answered truthfully. "That was definitely quite a run for her first steps."

Artie's grin intensified. "Twelve whole steps without falling," he corrected proudly, "and on her ten month birthday."

Alicia's grin faded slightly as a pang of wistfulness hit. "I know how important it was for you two to learn how to walk together," she began, but Artie quickly dismissed her with a shake of the head. He knew he was still months away from being able to ambulate with his crutches.

"It's okay, Mom. I'm not ready yet, Abbey is," he assured her. "Besides in a few weeks, maybe even a few day, she'll be running...I'd never be able to keep up with her anyway."

A lump formed in Alicia's throat, but she swallowed it down and managed a great big smile. "I suppose not, at least not in that way, but just because you two won't ever walk at the same speed, doesn't mean you can't keep up with her. Artie, if it wasn't for you, Abbey would have never got this far, this fast. Playing on the floor with her every day, from tummy time, to teaching her how to sit; those exercises not only helped you get stronger, but helped Abbey too. You helped her learn, and she took those first steps to you. You're exactly what she needs, Sweetheart."

Artie's smile became impossibly wide, and he blushed as he nodded slightly. "I love you, Mom," he declared, holding his arms out for one more hug.

"I love you too," Alicia returned with a squeeze and a tender kiss to his forehead."Goodnight, Artie."

...


	46. Chapter 46

**_An authors note...I was hoping to post this sooner, but just couldn't find the time to finish it. Better late than never, I suppose. This one is a bit heavy on the emotion, but was something I had planned on writing from the beginning. This story and this family are both very precious to me, as I hope they are to you. Thank you all for your continued support(especially you, Megan;) Enjoy!_**

_**Let It Be**_

Winter slowly thawed into spring, though early spring in western Ohio was usually unpredictable at best. For example, the high temperature for the day was being predicted at close to seventy degrees, while the day before it struggled to reach fifty, and still fell short.

The boys were on their second day of spring break and already they were at each others throats. Or more precisely, Andy was at Artie's.

Luckily for Alicia, Art had taken the day off. The family planned a trip to the zoo and invited Alicia's sisters to meet them there with their kids. It was going to be like a mini family reunion, even if the families did already see each other most every weekend.

Artie was in charge of keeping Abbey occupied while his parents packed things up. The two were currently playing a game of peek-a-boo in the living room.

Mimicking her brother's actions, Abbey lifted her chubby little hands to her eyes, then quickly pulled them away. "Boo," they said in unison, Abbey dissolving into a fit of giggles each time. The toddler now had a vocabulary of over twenty words and it was growing everyday, though some words were used synonymously...like "boo" for instance, was used for that particular scare tactic and also the color blue. Artie was secretly amused that Abbey somehow always left the "d" off of Andy's name, which ended up sounding like "Annie", but had no problem enunciating the sound when it came to calling him "Ah-da" or Art, "Dada".

"You wanna play again, Abbey?" Artie asked when he noticed the baby's attention waning.

"Mama," she replied in askance.

"Mommy's in the kitchen getting ready," he returned, pushing over to the bin of toys across the room. "Should we read a book?" When he didn't receive an answer, Artie quickly glanced over both shoulders before calling out, "Mom? I think Abbey's coming in there to find you."

As he moved to turn his chair, Artie felt the slight resistance before hearing the pained cry behind him. It was then he realized his baby sister had never left the room.

"Oh my gosh, Abbey. I'm so sorry I knocked you down...," the apology was out of his mouth before he was even able to twist around to properly survey the damage. He was not prepared for what he found when he peered to his left. Abbey was on her knees behind his chair, her tiny hand somehow caught between the spokes of his wheel.

Trying not to panic, Artie began to move his chair forward thinking that would release Abbey's hand from the spokes since he'd been reversing when she got caught in the first place. Unfortunately, that only succeeded in throwing her off balance and wedging her hand even further.

"What's going on?" Andy asked, running down after hearing the muffled cries from his bedroom upstairs.

"Abbey's hand's stuck in my chair. Go get Mom," Artie managed to order, though he was quickly loosing his calm, "she's in the kitchen making sandwiches."

Viewing the scene in front of him, the boy listened to his brother and took off for the kitchen; only to return seconds later, alone. "She's not there," Andy gasped breathlessly.

Feeling his heart beating in his throat, Artie swallowed thickly. "Maybe she's in the garage helping Dad pack the van," was all he was able to get out before the tears began to flow. "Go Andy, hurry!"

Artie knew it wouldn't take much, simply move the chair in the proper direction and Abbey would be free. But he couldn't do that without transferring out of his chair, and he couldn't safely do that without setting his brake, and his brake was dangerously close to precious little baby fingers. So all Artie was forced to do was sit there and wait for help to come...and listen as his sobs mixed with his sister's.

"Mom, Dad come quick," Andy shouted as he threw open the garage door. "Abbey's hand is stuck in Artie's chair."

"What?" Alicia asked, staring at her son in disbelief.

"Abbey's hand got stuck in Artie's wheel."

"Andrew Thomas, this better not be another one of your April fools jokes."

"It's not, I swear," he assured his mother as he motioned both of his parents to follow.

As soon as she stepped inside, Alicia could hear the crying and knew instantly that this was no joking matter. Within seconds, she was by her children's side.

"Mom I'm so sorry, I didn't mean too," Artie immediately began to apologize through his sobs. "I didn't know she was behind me. I thought she was in the kitchen with you. I tried to move, but when I went forward she got even more tangled, and I..."

"Artie, Sweetheart...it's okay. It was just an accident," Alicia tried to soothe, even though her own emotions were quickly building from seeing her two children in such distress.

Art got there a second after his wife, and just as Artie suspected, Abbey was immediately freed.

"See, that's all," Alicia cooed as she lightly bounced and swayed her baby girl.

"Is she okay?" Artie asked urgently.

"She's fine, see?" Alicia assured him, forcing a smile for not just Artie's benefit. "Already starting to calm down." And Abbey was, her sobs dissipating into tiny little sniffles.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Artie's. "I didn't mean to hurt her, Mom," he cried even harder.

"Oh Honey, I know that," she began, but was cut short with Art's return from the kitchen.

Armed with a pacifier and a child friendly ice pack, he gently placed the latter on Abbey's grossly swollen and purpling hand. "We should probably go get this checked out," he whispered into his wife's ear. In all the excitement of getting her free and calmed, Alicia completely forgot to so much as look at her daughter's hand.

"I think so too," Alicia replied softly. She mentally added the angry red line running across both sides of the hand from the pressure of being caught between the spokes to the list of injuries, and turned to leave. "I'll take her," she offered a beat later, "You stay here with the boys."

"Where are you taking her?" Artie cried out of concern.

"Just to the doctor, Sweetie," was Alicia's placating reply.

"The emergency room?" he guessed by reading the concern on both his parents faces. "Do you think it's broken?"

Alicia almost couldn't handle the grief emanating from her son, and her eyes filled with tears. She knelt beside him, her hand covering the twisted fists clenched in his lap. "I don't know, Sweetheart," and as soon as the words left her mouth, his wracking sobs returned. "Babies bones are still pretty soft at this age, and she's moving her fingers just fine," Alicia pointed out, to no avail. "But even if Abbey's hand is broken, they'll be able to fix it no problem, and she'll never even remember it happened."

"But I will," Artie shot back angrily. "And I'll always be the reason she got hurt."

...

It took some convincing, but Art finally got Alicia to leave with Abbey after Artie's storm out. He let his son stew for as long as he could, before calling the boys to lunch; and while Artie refused to eat, citing he wasn't hungry, at least Art finally got him to leave the confines of his locked office.

Art found his oldest son lying on the couch, staring blankly at the tv, about an hour later. "Mom just called," he began as crossed into the room, "Abbey's hand is fine, no broken bones, just some bruising and swelling." His chest clenched as he watched Artie's chin tremble and his blank expression turn to that which was a mixture of guilt and relief. Art was very familiar with that particular emotion.

"They're on their way home," he continued, pausing only to right the wheelchair that seemed to be a little too forcefully pushed aside following the transfer. "Abbey got a taste of her first Popsicle today. They gave her one after they took the x-rays. Seems she likes cherry, just like her big brother."

Artie tried to stop the tears from falling, but just couldn't.

Art sat down on the edge of the couch next to Artie's hip. "Everything's okay now, Ace," he stated, a comforting hand brushing through his son's hair. "Abbey's going to be just fine."

"I know," Artie replied, sniffling. "I just...I never meant to hurt her, Dad."

"I know that," Art returned reassuringly. "This wasn't your fault." He was hoping for a different reaction than what he got; a grief stricken frown. "You said yourself it was an accident..."

"It was," Artie defended.

"And don't you hate it when people blame themselves for something they had no control over?"

The boy was just about to argue that he should have had control over the situation since it was his chair that hurt Abbey, when he realized the reference his father was actually trying to make, and could do nothing but nod solemnly. "Now you need to work on getting past this."

Artie looked down, defeated. "But what if Mom is so mad at me that she never lets me watch Abbey again?"

"Your Mom is not mad at you, Kiddo."

"No she's not," Alicia reiterated from the doorway.

Artie felt his eyes well up again. "But what if she's scared of me now...or my stupid chair?"

At the sound of her brother's voice, Abbey's head popped up from where it rested on her mother's shoulder and she squealed in delight. "I don't think you have to worry about that at all," Alicia couldn't help but chuckle. Fearing the drowsy baby might launch herself from her arms, Alicia quickly stepped over to the couch, where she took the spot that Art had just vacated.

Abbey crawled on top of her brother and quickly nestled into his side, letting out a giggled sigh of contentment as she laid down on top of his chest. Artie protectively wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Abbey," he whispered into her blond curls, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Alicia's fragile heart was breaking into a million pieces for her little boy, all over again. She knew what it was like to live with that sort of guilt, and while she was slowly learning to make peace with it, she didn't want this for her son. "We saw a specialist and he said she's going to be just fine, no lasting damage, just a little sore and bruised for a while," she explained after first sniffling back her emotions and clearing her throat.

Artie nodded as he unconsciously continued to rub comforting circles into Abbey's back; a mannerism Alicia recognized as one of her own. She smiled.

"Now that she's so mobile, and more than a little curious...if not slightly sneaky," Alicia paused when that elicited a small chuckle from Artie, and her grin intensified, "we're just going to have to watch her a little more closely to ensure something like this doesn't happen again."

Artie nodded solemnly again as he pressed his lips to the top of his sister's head and whispered, "I promise I'll do my best to never let anything hurt you ever again. I love you Abbey."

There was no other response from the now dozing baby besides a tiny bruised fist tightly clenching around the section of her brother's t-shirt...right over his heart.


End file.
